Forgotten Immortals
by SarnaKiro
Summary: Some things are meant to be forgotten. This is painfully obvious when Mia, Koenma's guide for them, reveals 'Forgotten Races' that had conveniently been hidden from them. With Hiei's nightmares and this 'Immortal' life is becoming confusing.
1. Shadow of a Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything that implies that nature. I am not using the three kings story line. This takes place several years after the dark tournament.

Prelude

Forgotten. It has an eerie ring to it that seems to haunt the person that spoke it. Even if was in just a smile 'I forgot to do the dishes,' the speaker, if she/he is thinking even slightly about what they are saying, gets chills down their spine. Something about the mind losing a memory as simple as a chore or name secretly scares the person.

The simple action of 'forgetting' can do almost anything. It can turn blood against blood and spill it carelessly. It can turn friend against friend to create the greatest of enemies. Soul against soul so that they can no longer have the strength to live.

But, in all reality, it can also allow something to live. Yet, if a life must be lived alone, forsaken, and traitored from all those that it trusts, it it really living? Or is it just another pawn in the world's never ending game?

There are legends of such souls. Some live with others of their kind, so they say. But an unfortunate few are rumored to have no similar; to exist alone in the pains of living that the Memorable can't seem to see. The simple task of breathing becomes a choice and the world grows dark through their eyes.

In the worlds where the Remembered rule, what place have the Forgotten? Is it not their only choice but to make themselves one of the Known? Is it even possible?

There are stories of one such soul. A soul that was so pure it couldn't feel even the slightest bit of emotion when it formed in the light. One so innocent that a single person was able to pull it into the darkness that it was supposed to fight. That one pain confused it so much, that it no longer cares for right and wrong. It seeks to destroy us all now, so they say. The legends of a slaughter of Thira under it's name.

Legends speak of it as though a disease, slowly infecting the world with it's unforgotten pain that the _world_ forced on it. Legends of a single person who could destroy a continent out of pain.

Legends of a Myth.

Chapter One

_Pain. Ripping, searing anguish tore through him, causing him to gag blood and double over._

_**The image of a woman, face contorted in unspeakable inner turmoil as she mouthed something.**_

_"Do you realize what you've done." Velvet. Comforting and rough on the ears._

_**What was the woman saying?**_

_He was falling, dark death around him._

_"Do you realize?"_

_**Hiei? Were those her words?**_

_Maze upon maze of stone wall. It chased him. He was loosing the trail._

_"**No... Hiei!"**_

_He couldn't see him. Stabbing pain. Grey eyes. She was coming._

_"Of all the ways for it to end..." It was Yuskue. Something familiar._

_**"Damn you!" The woman screamed, lilac hair streaming about her face as she charged.**_

_"Surely..._

_**Blood soaked through. Stained everything**_

_"Surely..."_

_**Wings. Large red wings. Ice water. She hadn't moved fast enough.**_

_"We could have done better than this?"_

_**Tears. Blood. Silver blood. They were the same. All for him. Why him? She hated him. He hated her. **_

_"Couldn't we?"_

_**Why him?**_

_The image cleared. His eyes were open now. Even though it hurt to breathe, to think. To live. He was alive, and it amazed him. "That is no longer the question." He looked around to them. The presence of Yuskue and Kurama only intensified the loss of the woman and, as much as he hated it, Kuwabara. Right now, they were both beyond their reach. It hurt. More than his wounds or his scars, or his pride, it hurt. **He** could have fixed it_._ **He** could have _**prevented**_ it. But he failed._

_He was useless._

_**Pathetic.**_

Weak.

**Alone.**

_But he swallowed it all. They could not see it. Not now. "The real question is, what is right? To stay here and abandon everything we've worked for, of go after and forsake all that **she's** done for centuries." He wanted them to answer, to tell him what. But he knew the choice was to him. "What price are we willing to pay?"_

Hiei woke with a start, gasping silently for air. The branch that he perched upon had denied him its original purpose of being to comfortable to sleep in. His chest still felt like someone was squeezing the life out of him. Placing a careful mask on his face he looked below him to the group -Kurama, Yuskue, Botan, and Kuwabara.

It had been a few years since the Dark Tournament. Yuskue married Keiko at eighteen, immediately got her pregnant, and now had a hyperactive one-year old that donned him _Spik._ He guessed it was short for Spikey, Yuskue's favorite nickname. At the moment, said detective was muttering about Keiko killing him for his extended leave.

The detective had gained the ability to move his Spirit shots at will, but it drastically cut their power. But with his added physical strength he found in his Youkai blood, it evened out well when necessary.

Kuwabara snored obnoxiously in one corner and Hiei couldn't help the sneer of contempt forming on his lips. Yes, he was not the worst human, but what in the world did Yukina see in her idiotic fiancée. Yes, _fiancée._ He nearly gagged at the thought. At least Kuwabara cared.

Botan paced in the small clearing of trees, muttering under her breath about future punishments for late arrivals. She was probably the only unchanged one in the group, looking exactly how she did and acting exactly how she used to. Then again, she was probably several hundred years old and more than comfortable with herself.

A bemused smile on his face, Kurama watched the fairie pace back and forth. He too showed little change, but Hiei knew that he had been bribed heavily to come here. In the past few years, his debt had been nearly diminished, but along with that so had his supply of potions that allowed him to turn into Youko. It wasn't a pretty situation. The fox side stirred within him, lessening his self-control and heightening his power but also his pride. Whatever had dragged him here was apparently very important to both sides of him because he ad yet to see the slightest escape attempt from the kitsune.

And Hiei himself? No one knew. Naturally he had gotten stronger, but where he wasn't telling. But one thing was for sure.

These dreams had to go. Though they normally weren't that disturbing, they were getting clearer sense he accepted this mission.

Irritating really.

Over the past two weeks, they had been called in separately to see if they would accept this mission. Each of them had been offered something in return making it obvious this wasn't your normal tournament they had signed up for.

Botan, who had been leading the group through the island that the completion was to be held, stopped abruptly, "This is it," she said in a cheery voice. Her happiness soon vanished, changing her voice to thin and irritated. "That's strange."

After a moment of everyone waiting for her to explain, Yuskue groaned, "Fine, I'll bite. Why on **earth** are we standing in the middle of a deserted island with you going 'That's odd.'"

"'That's strange,'" she corrected.

**"Whatever, just answer me!"**

The purple-eyed fairie sighed, "We're here because this is the spot where we are supposed to meet your other two team-mates. The strange thing is that they're not here yet." Under her breathe she added. "_Usually so prompt_."

"Well, where are they?" Hiei growled.

"Your sixth fighter must be taking his time to be convinced to come. The problem with that is I don't know the rules to this tournament, it's illegal and your fifth fighter is the only one who knows about it."

Kuwabara, now irritated and tired, yelled with a twitching eye, "**Will you stop calling them be numbers and just give us name-**...wait...**YOU DON'T KNOW _ANYTHING_ ABOUT THIS TOURNAMENT!"**

Botan quickly changed the subject, "OH...um...look there they are!" she stated getting all catlike.

Walking through the thick, dark woods was two figures.

One was obviously a male. His deep aqua hair was puled back into a low-lying ponytail. His clothes were best described as an Arabian/Native American style gone gothic. The shades that covered his dark skin consisted of black and dark shades of black and green. Baggy navy pants and a loose evergreen tank top intensified his steely gray eyes. Though, despite his seven foot size, he didn't seem that intimidating as he took in the scenery with a calm, interested look as he followed shortly behind his companion.

The second person was not really...well-describable. She/he wore a long cloak that was black tinted with green. The pathetically short fighter stood maybe two inches shorter than it's fire koorime teammate.

_The tall one seems pretty strong. His energy level is at least at my level, but shrimp number two seems to weak, not even a drop off power, _Kuwabara thought, _Yet Cloaky seems to be the leader?_

Botan walked up to the taller one and gave him a slightly puzzled look. "You don't look like Perth," she stated looking him up and down.

His familiar snorted at this walking past the two blue-haired people.

"Umm..." the fighter glanced down at the fairy and blushed, "I'm his brother, Kerr."

"Kerr? Why wasn't Per-" she shut up and looked at the ground quickly.

Kerr glanced at the cloaked figure as though she/ he held the answer to Botan's strange actions.

"Who's this?" said Kuwabara as the newcomer walked by.

"Hn," was the only answer he got; too quiet to tell who or **what **the newcomer was.

_Shadows and people,_

_Is there any difference?_

_They are as you look at them._

_Just as dreams,_

_They are as you make them._

_So is there really any difference,_

_Between shadow and people?_

Hiei, who had been leaning on a tree, stood straight. "Why in the three realms would we need six fighters? That just complicates things.

Kerr was the one to reply, taking the focus off of the cloaked figure and Botan talking in hushed voices that even Kurama could not hear. "The teams in this tournament can range from one person to thirty. Six was chosen for our group so the larger groups wouldn't threaten us and we would still be small enough to go undetected." His voice was deep, rich, and devoid of the anxiety that the others felt.

Yuskue on the other hand was not ashamed to show that pressure, "How in the hell could a tournament be held like that?"

"Simple, it's a free for all."

"Wha?"

"The winning group is the last one still standing on the island. The only way to get other teams off the island is by knocking out or killing all the members of their team.

"The teams will start attacking when red energy is blasted into the air. When this is done, the team can fight any where at any time on the island and any weapons can be used except guns can be used. Theses are the only rules other than having to stay on the island."

_Those are rules? _thought Yuskue with a sweat drop.

"Speaking of which, I should be leaving," said Botan straightening up from whispering in the newcomers ear. "Don't want to be here when the fun starts!" With that, she pulled out her oar (don't ask me from where or how, she just seems to do that all the time) and flew away.

-30 Minutes Later-

"That's it, I can't stand it anymore!" Yuskue exclaimed since the crimson sparks had yet to fly. "This forest gives me the creeps!" The spirit detective stomped off ignoring Kerr and the Kurama's pleas to stay with the group

He soon found a clearing and happily fell backwards into the long grass. "Ah! Open air!" he groaned happily with a stretch. And he stayed happy until he sensed an odd energy coming from the opposite side of the clearing.

Jumping to his feet, Yuskue stared as the seven to eight foot tall demons began to surround them in a gang-like fashion.

_Dang, and I thought the lower demons were ugly. _The creatures standing before him where double mouthed and a moldy green with eight eyes a piece. Definitely not the prettiest things to walk the worlds.

The tallest, _And ugliest, _thought Yuskue, began to talk in a low, cackling voice, "What _is _the matter? Are you _lost?_" The demon snickered as though he was being funny. After a moment the rest of the idiots followed suit, though not quite as enthusiastically.

"It appears you friends have the right image of you," sneered the spirit gun master, "Stupid, that is."

The leader glared, then smirked insanely as he took a step forward.

"Back off or you'll regret it creep," Yuskue growled.

"Really? I doubt that-" but he was cut off by a strange glow covering all of them except for Yuskue. After a minute is stopped and the demons wheeled around to see Kerr standing there.

"Why you little," a random one growled.

"I don't appreciate you threatening my teammate," the tall blue head replied. "Especially before the party starts."

"So are you gonna try to take us on or not?"

He pretended to think about it, "...No...but she might." He raised a finger to indicate the spot above the leader's head.The fifth fighter, now revealed as a female, was standing there.

Before anyone could look up, let alone react, she had already pulled out a dagger and forced into her stools shoulder.

While jumping down the group attempted to swing fists randomly at her which only resulted in doing damage to each other.

Speaking in a calm, empty, young voice she stated, "Killing or knocking out an opposing team before the sign will get you disqualified before you can blink."

The demons at this point were spooked. A tiny female something with no spirit energy had just challenged them, **without pulling down her hood! **The head honcho, probably due to his stupidity, was the only one unfazed, "I'll see you when the slaughter begins!" He added as an after thought, "**Girly!**" which was, at least by what Yuskue gathered from Kerr's flinch, an even dumber act.

"Girly?" said five in a hollow voice, "Then, yes, I'll see you later."

The gang turned and left without another word.

Yuskue could feel the females strange gaze from under her hood before she turned back towards the way they came from.

Yuskue stood there for a moment, staring. Then followed deep in thought. Some eyewitnesses could have they saw smoke rising from his ears.

The fifth fighter did not sound older than twelve if not younger. He also could have sworn that he had heard that voice before.

"HEY!" he bellowed, "WHAT'S YOUR NAME!" They were practically back to the group by this point.

"You already know...sort of." Her voice was plain and unemotional as they entered the clearing with the others sitting in it.

Kerr came back quietly and politely a moment after them.

"I KNEW IT!" Everyone in the clearing nearly jumped out of their skins. "Your the little girl Koenma sent us to rescue on our last mission! The one that was guarded by that weird demon that could walk through walls!"

"It was a changeling," she stated bluntly ignoring the mass of people that was now staring at her.

Yuskue stopped and thought. More smoke. _Is this why we needed her? To tell us about this island? Botan did say she was the only one who knew. But then why did Kerr reply and not her?_

He thought back on their previous mission. They had once again been stuck in a fortress. But this one put Maze Castle to shame.

-Flashback-

_The gang ran through a horribly musty castle for another search and rescue mission. The smell was horrendous and they were constantly finding themselves tripping over the same skeletons and running through the same puddles off blood. Eventually Kuwabara just stopped._

_"I can't stand it! We've been going around in circles for hours! We're not getting anywhere!"_

_"Well at least there hasn't been and alarms or traps," teased Yuskue._

_"Stop it, Urameshi, you'll jinx us!"_

_"Do you two ever shut up?" Hiei tried, knowing that he'd only get dragged into it._

_The two slowly turned and began to say something about his size when they realized why he butted in._

_Kurama was examining a section of the wall were stone pattern did not connect to the rest. He places an ear to it and closed his eyes listening. With a triumphant smile, he pulled away and knocked on the wall three times._

_Nothing._

_Then something. The wall shook slightly and slid away to reveal a new passage._

_Yuskue just stared until he final snapped out of his stupor, "Kurama...your still good at seeing the details."_

_"As I've said before, Yuskue, 'Seeing the normally over looked is my job.'" the kitsune said with a sly smile._

_Hiei rolled his eyes and started down the the hallway. The others soon caught up and Hiei allowed himself to his normal position in the back._

_The passage ended in a giant room filled with lit incense burners. These gave off the feeling of light-headedness and insecurity. But even through the thick smoke they could see a girl tied tied to a pillar._

_She was on heavily bruised knees. Her hands were around the pillar behind her back. Sturdy ropes binded her along with golden colored cuffs, one on each wrist. Her body pulled strongly against them yet it was obvious by her limp body and closed eyes that she was unconscious. She had boyishly short medium brown hair that seemed to be dripping from a mixture of blood and sweat from the know obvious heat. The rest of the girl's body was thrashed to the point that she barely had shreds of clothes on._

_Yuskue's stomach churned._

_"That's not right!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he started to go green. "She barely looks 10!"_

_The detective just nodded in agreement, staring at the girl some more._

_Hiei's face was blank as usual._

_Kurama did not wait for permission to walk forward. "The first thing we need is to untie her." This snapped Yuskue back to reality. Kurama began to sever the ropes as Yuskue positioned himself to catch her when she fell. A few minutes later the fox unwrapped the last knot that bound the young one. She fell straight into Yuskue's open arms. He just simply sat on his haunches, holding her, staring at the golden bracelet that were matted with her blood and still clung to her._

_Kurama walked to the other side of the pillar and took the girl out of the arms of the dumbfounded Yuskue.He pulled out a leather wrapping from his shirt and unrolled it to reveal several tools in which he used to pick the locks of the strange bracelets that held the captured._

_The 'clink' that echoed through the room from the first gold keeper did not seem to loud, but the second seemed to rock their heads._

_She remained motionless._

_"Is...she even alive?" Kuwabara ventured shakily._

_"Yes," was the quiet reply, "But just barely. She's lost a lot of blood and her life energy is l-" he stopped. The girl was stirring in his arms._

_Her eyes flickered open. _That's a strange shade of brown, _thought Yuskue. _They seem to be fogged over...like...I don't know.

_His thoughts were interrupted by Hiei, "Are you blind, ningen?"_

_She inhaled deeply and pushed herself off of Kurama's lap. An action to which he highly opposed. She then took one look around the bunch though they never focused on none of them. They stayed strangely locked with Kurama's last. "Damn it, Koenma," she said closing her eyes. "You had to send someone after me." Despite that her words were of those of irritance, her voice was plain and emotionless. She turned her head, opened her eyes, and looked at the fire koorime. "No, my lenses are just scratched temporarily." With that she stood causing her wounds to open again, This of course sent Yuskue's stomach into another fit. The sound of dripping blood, tearing skin, clothes peeling off flesh, and the fact that all of this was coming from a ten, maybe eleven year old girl only made him want to vomit more._

_That's when he noticed something odd. _She hasn't groaned, flinched, panted, or even winced from those wounds!

_Yuskue wasn't exaggerating, either; her face remained as blank and emotionless as her tone. No pain filled her eyes. She simply stood there, muttering something illegible._

_"Well, let's get the baka back to Koenma," Hiei said impatiently._

_The girls eyes flickered to Hiei and he immediately started to open his mouth to ready himself better to counter a return comment or glare, but neither came. The girl stared for a moment. No comeback. No sneer. No snide remark. Nothing except for, "Hm, yes, I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" No dislike tainted her tongue._

_They all nodded, breathing slowly. _She isn't the prettiest thing, but she isn't bad looking. She would be better off if she was older and smiled...then again...I don't know what her smile looks like, _were Yuskue's thoughts._

_Slowly the group began to walk toward the opening they came from, but the rocks and the bricks slid in their way._

_"That's not going to open," Kurama said._

_Quiet, then, "He's here."_

_They all wheeled to face the blank girl._

_"Who?" Yuskue questioned._

_"A lackey for sir."_

_"Sir?"_

_"The leader."_

_"SIR?"_

_The girl shrugged, "That was the only name I heard for him around me."_

_Kuwabara laughed, "Man, he must be a fa-" but he was cut off by the small girl's footsteps._

What the hell is she do- _Yuskue's eyes widened. _Holy Cheese On Rye! WHAT IS THAT CHICK THINKING!

_In one swift movement she had turned around, pulled out Hiei's katana, and shoved it through the chest of a male demon who was halfway through the floor, his feet hidden by the stone grounding. With the blade still running through his chest, the girl pulled it upward, forcing the rest of the male's body out of the ground, and twisted it, sending the demon sprawling across the floor. Holding the sword in a very know-how manner, she ran straight toward the guy and stopped the strip of medal only inches from his nose._

_"Listen, changeling," she said to an unmoving demon thanks to the katana, whose owner, Hiei, was becoming very p.o.'ed, "I'm injured, grumpy-"_

_"-When aren't you-" the demon cut in more as a statement than a question._

_For some reason she choose to ignore it and continue as though he had said nothing, "-and you have something of mine." Once again, threatening words, but no threat behind them. Despite that a look of horror slowly came over it's strangely attractive face. Carefully, the shifter pulled out a dagger and handed it to her. She took it with her spare hand and examined it, all the while keeping him pinned._

_The dagger's blade was made of dark blue crystal that was cut roughly and reflected the light in an unnatural way. A steely gray hilt was wrapped in black leather. All in all, it seemed deadly to a fault and gave off its own aura._

_Shoving the weapon in her belt, she again held out her hand, "And?"_

_The demon muttered something under his breathe , eyes still on the katana, and handed her a bag, that when she took it, it sounded like marbles. She kept her hand out and the shifter handed her a polished stone, which the female the put it in the pouch that._

_She began to tie the bag around her belt and began to walk away._

_The demon stood quickly, drawing a dagger. That's when the others saw that the hole in his chest had healed, even the shirt had repaired itself. Pulling the dagger over his shoulder, he flung it at her. It headed straight for her heart._

_The girl slowly turned around and grabbed the blade just centimeters from her chest. Her hand began to drip heavily with blood seconds after she caught it giving Yuskue the impression that she was holding it pretty tight. The female looked creepily from the blade to the changeling._

_It took a step back, eyes nearly popping out of his head._

_She stared back for a moment then dropped the the weapon so the blade stuck in the rock and crimson fluid._

_"...Karaz?" her tone for once was actually slightly threatening._

_The demon let out a small gasp as though he was going to faint, then sunk through the floor._

_The girl shrugged and walked back to the group._

_The question came from Yuskue before he could think, "Karaz?"_

_She paused as if thinking, "...his name."_

_"Yours?"_

_"...you can call me Mia."_

_-End Flashback-_

_Ya_, thought the detective, _Then she used that demonic knife, cut through the air, opened a portal, and brought us back, making us all feel stupid._

"So, Mia," he emphasizes her name, "What have you been up to."

"None of your business, Yuskue."

Amusement flickered through his voice, "I don't believe I gave you my name, so how do you know it?"

She slid down a trunk, the one next to Kerr's, and replied quietly, as though ashamed, "It's my job to know."

_That's an old one, _thought Yuskue. "Really? I had thought you had _convinced_ Koenma to tell you."

With that comment, Kerr went pale and Yuskue grinned evilly hoping that this combination would get a reaction from her.

It did.

A small one, but it did.

"I really hope your not implying what I think you are." She looked up at him from under her hood.

Hiei nearly fell out of his tree even though he had been pretending not to care about what was being said, this was just too odd to ignore. _She looks...older...then again she did get taller as well...she was shorter than me before, _the fire koorime's thoughts echoed.

Her brown eyes were narrow and no longer glazed and unfocused and it was hard to tell whether they were brown of glossy black. Mia's face was less chubby, even sharp. Her lips were fuller as well. The mysterious person now looked thirteen.

Despite everything, it wasn't Mia's aged body that caught Yuske off guard, it was her eye's. _Dark...way too dark. Something about them...they don't seem human...or even demon for that matter._

Mia finished her sentence while while adverting her eyes to the ground, "Because if you are, I think Koenma needs to know."

"You act like your not even phased!" Yuskue nearly yelled in a exasperated voice. "I was hoping that binky breathe wouldn't rob the cradle for a lo-" he was cut off by Kerr's hand.

Mia stood without support from anything. "I'll be back in a half-hour."

The moment Mia was out of the clearing, Kuwabara and Yuskue broke into gales of laughter.

Kerr became annoyed and Kurama but in his two cents, "From the fact that you laughed only after she left, I can only conclude that you fear her."

The human managed to clam himself down enough to speak between fits, "She's talented, I'll give her that, but Mia's too young and inexperienced to take ony any of us."

Kerr let out a deep laugh that dripped with sarcasm, "Mia! Young? Inexperienced! I hope you were naming antonyms about the fourth in command of Spirit World!"

Kurama had to explain what antonyms were to the two ningens before the conversation could continue.

Hiei flicked open an eye and became interested, "Fourth in Command?"

Yuskue stared. "What she do?"

Kerr just glared at him.

"Ya, but-"

Daggers flew from steely eyes.

The detective decided to shut his mouth.

Kurama thought for a minute, deciding if the painful stare was worth his question. It was. "So how did she get there?"

The newcomer shrugged. "How should I know? The only thing I got is that she's been working for King Enma for over one hundred years."

Even Hiei was visibly startled. Kuwabara stuttered dumbly before screaming, "NO! WAY! SHE'S MAYBE TEN!"

Kerr made the same gesture as before. "It's not my place to explain." He stopped for a minute then laughed, "Then again, she may still... well never mind. I've opened my mouth wide enough about her."

"And you?" asked Kurama.

He smiled with a obvious relief. "That is a much easier question to answer. I am a Thirian, a race of humans. We specialize in water and/or earth manipulation and healing mainly. The average Thirian lives about half a millennia, while the royal family can live twice as-"

"AND YOUR HUMAN!" Yuskue blurted. "Japan would have you guys in labs twenty-four seven!"

Kerr blinked, "We live under the Atlantic Ocean."

More stares, except from Kurama who had a thoughtful smirk. "Thirian...your name has been lost to this time to a much more common one -Atlantian."

Kerr chuckled, "Correct Kurama, right on the head."

Man, he's light-hearted. thought Yuskue. Wait a minute. Something hit him, "...Atlantian...?" Yuskue broke out laughing. "Yeah, and the girls an angel!"

Something flickered across the Thirian's face, but he said nothing.

"Wah? Don't tell me she is!"

Kerr's face was solemn, "No, Yuskue...she is far from it."

"Demon?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Cause I'm asking you."

Kerr gave another shrug that was quickly becoming his trademark gesture. "If you want to know so bad, why don't you round up your courage an-" Red Sparks shot loudly into the sky. The scent of burning wood came with them. "So...that's where she went." He shook his blue hair, smirking. "Should have known."

"SHOULD HAVE KOWN WHAT!" Yuskue yelled, now fully annoyed with his secretive companion.

"She's gone to finish off the demons that threatened you earlier."

"Great," Hiei growled, "Another compassionate baka."

Kerr's smirk turned to Hiei. If looks could kill, the Thirian would have dead and burried even of the return stare had been shot from the corner of the koorime's eye. Stress filled the area as everyone waited for the demon to cut the Atlantian's head off.

But the smirk only fell when the owner began to speak. "Soft..." his voice was border lining pained, "Hardly. She is every bit as cold and heartless as you, Hiei -if not more so. Mia's kind are far less fond of emotion than most. They mainly plot, binding their little time and energy for the most effective attack. By the end of this tournament, I assure you, you will all believe she could take your lives."

Speaking the others' minds, Hiei muttered, "Not likely."

"Why don't we have a look?" Kerr said, his voice unreadable for the first time sense he got there. Slowly she walked into the woods.

After a moments hesitation, the group followed. As they crept through the shadows, the smell of burning flesh filled their noses ever reminding the detectives where they were and why. Eventually, after ten minutes of treading ground, they came to an open field similar to the one Yuskue had found not long ago.

Mia, still cloaked and hooded, was coming toward the search team.

"I told you I would be back," the female stated coldly stopping before Kerr.

"We came to watch the fun," he replied offering a smile -she didn't take it.

"Hm... I'm already done."

Yuskue took one look from the girl then to Kuwabara. "No way," he whispered before running out into te field. But is was way. Way WAY. The demons were lying all over the field. There was at least twice as many as before. "Wow," he stated with wide eyes. Soon Kuwabara's eyes popped as well.

"They'll be out for weeks," came the voice of their female ally from behind nearly scaring them out of their minds after seeing the bloody mess.

"You did that!" he said to a raised eyebrow. Then he thought. She made him do that a lot. "Wait...," he turned to the field once more. "They're not dead?"

Kuwabara stood dumb founded, "Their.. gone."

Yuskue nodded,"What...the...Hell?" All that was left was imprints, blood, and guts.

Mia's dull voice came from behind. "When an entire team is killed or unconcious all at the same time their bodies are removed to an side island by the Founder, the person responsible for setting up the tournament." She shrugged, "I suppose it prevent this place from becoming a reeking blood pile." She turned and walked away before they could question.

Hiei watched her pass on her way back to camp and smirked. "I was told you were unbelievable ruthless, but by the way you just knocked them out, I would say you've gon soft."

She came to a silent stoop, turned elegantly, and walked back to the koorime. "King Enma and Koenma forbid me to kill while I was under the pretext of this tournament or his rule without permission."

"Why? Why would he care, more paperwork?"

Sluggishly, she tilted her head slightly -giving him a view of the lower half of her face- but said nothing.

"Why?" he hissed, irritated at being ignored.

A smirk, so small that only Hiei could see, crept over her pale features. "They value this teams future."

"Excuse Me!" his voice burned barely over a whisper.

Her features grew ever so insane. "I lose all self control when I start to kill. Anyone in my path would be slaughtered or worse, ally or foe." She began to walk again. "But those that fall in between are even worse off."

Hiei kept himself from hitting her square in the jaw as Mia passed again. But afterwards, he couldn't control it.

Mia jumped just in time for Hiei to appear where she was standing just a few minutes before. His katana's blade was stuck two thirds of the way into the ground. The fire koorime slowly raised his head to glare at the female staring at him from under the shadow of her hood. He could feel the pressure her gaze until he could have sworn that their eyes met.

Why? ...Why did she only react at the last minute? Hiei's mind echoed over Kerr's previous words. I understand the energy part -I can't even sense her energy- but why did he mean by time?

Despite his drifting thoughts, Hiei kept up his glare. Slowly, he really could see her cold, empty, and heartless.

Why is she staring at me still? His tolerance began to shrink suddenly again as he pulled his katana out of the ground. Sheathing it, he made his way to the area in which she was slowly moving to. /Next time I won't miss/ he forced into her strong mind.

/If you are serious, then you probably won't...especially ifi it is soon./ Hiei paused. Was that an emotion behind her thoughts. It was. But he couldn't place, not even as a slight fear for her life despite her confession.

/What the heck do you mean by th-/ Something hit him. Her reply had not been a thought but a precise message. "How the heck did you speak back to me?"

"Hm?"

"ANSWER ME, ONNA!"

"Which question do you want me to answer?"

"THE ORAL ONE!" The group caught up with them.

"I can talk to someone telepathically only when they open a commection with me first. It cannot work the other way round."

"Well that's-"

"um...Hiei!" Yuskue broke in.

/Shut up, detective/ the koorime's mind snapped. Something about this girl got under her skin quicker that Kuwabara, and he wanted to know what is was now. He continued his sentence. "Nice to know. Anything else we might-

"HIEI!" the detective pleaded, but he was P.O.ed now.

"-find interesting, onna?" he called at her back.

She stopped, but did not turn this time. Nor did she reply. Hiei's blood boiled. Three long needles slowly appeared in her hidden hand so only the tips glimmered in the setting light.

"HIEI, DAMNIT, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" pierced Yuskue's voice.

He moved as fast as he could but he could still feel the acupuncture devices fling past him. Though, as he quickly saw, Hiei was not the target.

A large human looking demon collapsed where the fire koorime was just standing. Slowly the body dissolved in to a thick glowing mist and sunk into the ground. As Kuwabara and Yuskue watched with mouth agape, Mia sulked in the direction of the camp.

"Hey!" the only completely human one of the group called, "What was that thing?"

Mia stopped and Kurama could have sworn he heard her sigh in exasperation. "A Hoshimonic," she replied quietly as though afraid to speak any louder.

Yuskue and Kuwabara looked at each other and blinked.

Kurama decided to answer their confusion,"They are star demons. Their more demonic form is half horse, half humanoid. The people that saw them in the Human World called them centaurs. These 'centaurs' are called Hoshimonics because they are extremely in tune with the celestial bodies. They are amazing spell casters and rarely come in contact with people outside of their species. That's probably why he was alone."

"Oh," said Yuskue in a slightly overwhelmed voice. It had been a little more information than what he wanted.

Kurama smiled and looked to the female who was trying -once again- to sneak away. "It appears that our lady friend specializes in the nervous system."

"Yeah," said Kuwabara, snapping out of his stupor. "She killed him with a needle -dangerous."

"I only knocked him out." Her tone became slightly different, "Pray that you'll never see me take a mortal life on my own needs."

Hiei watched her walk back into the shadows of the low lying bows and his blood stopped trying to burn it's way out of his veins. Damn her..wait...how did she?...an insult of that size rarely irritated me so quickly? As the truth began to form in the back of Hiei's mind, he began to realize that threatening the Third in Command may not be the best idea. At least not until the tournament was over. She was proving herself useful so far, so Hiei would allow himself to be allied with her...for now.

Watching Mia pass, Kerr turned to follow her. The others shrugged and followed. All except for Hiei of course.

Kurama stopped at the edge of the clearing. Turning, he faced his friend. "Are you coming, Hiei?"

"Hn."

"Curious are we?" Kurama quizzed in his usual 'I-know-more-than -you' vibe as he walked toward the koorime.

"About what?"

"The girl"

"Why would I be curious about her?"

The demon fox shook his head and smiled at no one.

"What?" Hiei growled acidly.

"Hmm?" Kurama had zoned out. "Oh, well, I'm sure whatever question you have for her will be answered soon."

Hiei glared at him which only caused his demon friend to laugh.

"Now, Hiei, let's get back to the group before Kerr sends a search party for us."

The fire demon flitted next to the kitsune with another trademark 'hn' and started walking with his ally close behind.

After a moment, Hiei popped a question, "Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Do you really think Kerr would do that?"

The plant manipulator just laughed at him and walked onward as the Forbidden Child stared at him with an innocently confused look.

------------------------------------

R&R


	2. Return of the Fox

_thought, flashback, or dream _

**emphasized word**

/telepathy/

"speaking"

Reviews:

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters.

_**Chapter Two**_

Kurama was confused. _It's warm?_ He stared blankly at the crackling fire before him. Or it looked like a fire. Actually it was a very good illusion. It gave off the rich aroma of burning wood and wet leaves. The only fault it had was that it gave off no smoke or fumes. But if that was truly the case, then it shouldn't give off heat either. _Maybe...it affects the mind directly?...No I would have felt it by now, besides Mia conjured it. Even if she could have managed to pull something off at this level, it would have given off an extremely_ _pronounced shock with her sparse amount of energy. _Kurama continued his banter between him and himself for a good while. Needless to say his evil stare at the flames soon caught the attention of the group.

"Um...Kurama?" Yuskue ventured.

Glare.

"Kurama?"

GLARE.

"KURAMA!"

"Huh? Oh, yes Yuskue?"

"Why do you want to kill the flames?"

"What do you mean?"

The detective shook his head. "Never mind."

The kitsune stared for a minute before looking back at the fire. Sure enough, after a few minutes his glare was back.

Yuskue groaned, "It can't be **that** interesting."

Finally, Kurama sat back against his selected tree. "So, why haven't Kerr and Mia returned form their escapade?"

"They went to go get some food," said Kuwabara. "And I hope that I get back **soon**. I'm hungry."

Kurama decided to move on. "What is it that you wanted to ask me, Yuskue, while I was studying the flames?"

He blinked. "How did you?" He looked into the fox's intelligent eyes. "Never mind.

"I wanted to ask you 'If Kerr's a Atlantian, why hasn't Japan found him.' I mean, even if they did live under an ocean, **something** should have shown up on radar or whatever the heck the use."

"Sonar, actually. But the reason is probably because they have a great deal of charms against just that. The Thirians probably took great care in hiding what cites they have left."

Yuskue nodded. "Just curious."

----------

-30 Minutes Later-

----------

Kerr came back smiling and talking with a still cloaked Mia. They appeared to be lost in conversation even though the female was was neither talking loud nor looking at Kerr.

The Atlantian gave a small chuckle and looked up at the group. "Food, anyone?"

Mia was carrying a basket -that would be better described as a wooven bowl- that was about a foot in diameter and another two feet deep. Inside it was what it appeared to be a wide assortment of wild berries in varying sizes and fragrant herbs that made the mouth water. How she held it up with those thin arms, no one knew or cared.

**"Food!" **Kuwabara practically singed as he lunged at the female. But before he could reach her, she had already jumped into the air and landed on his head. The human stood there perfectly still, dumbfounded by the small woman. She jumped off Kuwabara's headlining gracefully about a foot and a half from the fire. Mia held the basket upwards slightly to catch the fruit that had fallen out the woven bowl in her decent.

Standing, she pulled several acupuncture needles from her cloak and gently pushed a few berries about the size of golf balls with lime green skin and aqua colored leaves. Mia strategically placed them around the fire so when she came back around she simply picked up the first one she had laid down. Slowly they had grown into the size of hamburgers. Apparently the berries couldn't tell the heat was an illusion was either.

"Mia," Kerr gasped dramatically, "It's not good to fool mother nature." Sadly, all it earned him a disgusted shake of the head.

"Fine... be that way," he shrugged.

"Hey, Kerr?"

"Yeah?"

"Get down."

"What are you-" his speech was cut off by a groan of pain as his eyes widened. In just a moment, Mia was to her feet, needles halfway pulled out. "No," Kerr coughed, pulling the source of his pain -a dagger- from his shoulder blade. "This one is mine." The Thirian pulled a rod from his belt and it glowed, forming into a spear -blade and all. Before anyone could react he slashed a pour, defenseless tree in half.

Or they all thought is was defenseless until an oddly human scream filled the air and a form rose from the stump.

"Karaz," Mia growled, her relaxed pose suddenly tight.

As though those words gave Kerr the needed energy, his eyes grew afire with a frightening and merciless anger. Throwing his spear with deadly accuracy, he attempted to sever the changeling in half only to have it move away at the last second and disappear into another tree.

"Eat up," the ticked Atlantian growled. "He was more than likely a scout so staying here much longer would be unbearably overconfident. We still have a good hour of light, so let's use it." He switched his weapon back into a rod and placed it in it's proper spot as he began to pace.

"I'm going to go scout," came Mia's voice leaving no room to argue in her tone. She gave Kerr and 'are-you-happy-now' look.

He only nodded and picked up a fruit as he scanned the area closely.

"I'll come as well," Kurama voiced, standing as he brushed the dirt off his legs.

The strange girl looked up from under her hood and peered at the kitsune out of the corner of her eye. Finally she retorted, "Do as you please," as she turned heel and left the clearing forcing Kurama to jog to catch up.

Kerr watched them leave, eyes clouded in a distant thought as he chewed.

Yuskue was slightly perturbed by the strange actions of his new companions. _I don't get these two. One minute they have one personality and then a different one the next. Sometimes she seems to want to kill him, others she's saving his hide. _"With a sighs he spoke, "Hey, Kerr, right?"

"Hm?" he said in a distracted voice that caused the detective to push forward to ask more.

"What exactly is that girl?"

"A legend," he muttered in a still lost voice.

"What kind?"

"An old one," still oblivious apparently.

"How'd it end?"

"... confusion, depression, and death."

Now he was thoroughly confused. "Did she ever recover?"

Kerr turned to him, a sad smile on his lips. "No one has... especially not her."

"How so-"

"I know what you're doing Yuskue. I don't appreciate it and I find it very unwise. To take advantage of someone that you need to trust you later is the most unstable of routes to start our companionship on. I would not be of much help since I've only known Mia personally for a little over a week. I know a little about the facts in her life and the myths and legends she left behind, but I know nothing of the way she thinks and her personal emotions on her current situation -which I also have no clue why she's here so don't ask. If you truly want to know how she feels or thinks, wait about three days and then look directly into her eyes with that intention. It is said that the eyes of her kind are doors to their soul. I personally don't want to know what Mia's soul is like, so I haven't bothered to look."

Yuskue stared blankly at Kerr for a moment. "That was a bit more info. that I was expecting."

"Detective, the size of your brain is-" but Hiei never got the chance to finish his latest insult because at that moment a frantic kitsune with familiar silver coloring and gold eyes ran into the clearing, On his back -unconscious- was Mia whose current status was obviously unstable.

"We have to go. **Now.**" he growled.

But of course, no one moved immediately. That would have been to easy. "What happened to her!" Kuwabara screamed in a screechy voice.

Youko's ears twitched in annoyance. "She took a hit for me...but there's no time to explain. Now **Move!**" He ran into the opposite clearing. The group wasn't about to argue with the tone the fox had just given them. So as they ran they preoccupied their thoughts with how he could have changed so rapidly with out them noticing,

Suddenly Youko veered left and darted into a cave a mere four yards away. As the group chased him they noticed several odd things about the earth above and around them. The first was it grew a radioactive blue. The second factor was that an odd assortment of plants grew on every surface that didn't glow too brightly. The cave was moist and hot creating a sleepy, sticky atmosphere.

Youko placed Mia against one of the more cushioned walls with an odd gentleness. Collecting some herbs, plants, and flowers around the cave he crushed them into a powder in his right hand and held it under her nose forcing her to inhale the odd mixture.

Mia coughed instantly and then stopped breathing all together.

The fox's face quickly recovered from its horrified look into one of blankness, but the distress in his eyes was unable to be concealed. He stood in front of her and stared at the young, unmoving frame. "Damn it," he murmured, barely audible.

Yuskue and Kuwabara were dumbstruck at their companions death so early in the game.

Kerr was unreasonably pale, "This isn't good."

Hiei found himself curious at the fox's concern and the Thirian's worry. "What do you mean, human?"

The Atlantian was now sitting on the floor, rubbing his temples. "Changelings are a Forgotten race."

"Forgotten?"

"A Forgotten race is a race that the Spirit World can't keep track of. My kind are also these way, but oursouls often go to King Enma after we die. Other Forgottens, appear to have no soul, while the rarest have enough power to recreate their own bodies and start over."

"Why should that worry us about the changelings?" Hiei growled.

"A changeling is able to hide in any substance for long periods of time without losing their identities. Also, they have three classes. Minors have to have their heads cut off, Commanders have to be completely incinerated, and Ellites have to have their souls removed. The presence of so many changeling suggests and Ellite under foot, commanding everything."

Kuwabara's head snapped at the last comment, "We can't destroy souls! **We're not GODS!**"

"That's the problem."

Hiei was more than irritated, "What doesthe girl's death have...to...no."

"Yes, she ca-could destroy souls."

Kuwabara blinked. "She's a god?"

Kerr shifted, "Not really...no one's quite sure what she is. Her soul has a unique structure."

"...Is she Enma's or Binky-breath's kid?" Yuskue put in his two perverted -yet logical in a way- cents.

"No."

"**Then what do people call her?"**

Kerr switched from foot to foot, glancing at the still absorbed Youko as though he could help him in some way. Even if the fox could have, he was still too absorbed into the girl's limp features to notice the Atlantian's stare.

Before another protest could get moving, Kerr attempted to answer their question. "She's a rare creature. So much so that a name has really never been truly picked because so many believe them to be mythical- even on the demon plain."

"Them?" The detective pushed.

"There are onlytwo of her kind, a Ying and a yang so to speak."

"How could they live for so long then? Their kind would have died out long ago." Hiei growled.

He sighed. "When one dies they are reborn in a ten-year old body with a normal human growing rate with their memories erased."

"Then...what is she doing here?" asked Kuwabara.

"Mia's complications started when King Enma caught her soul before it could regenerate and threatened to destroy it if she didn't bend to his will. Apparently it's been her problem for over good century. Most of which she didn't have a body."

"Who was she before that?" Yuskue quizzed.

"No one really knows for sure. Most people -even Koenma- wonder if **she** does. But if that was the case, why would she have come here? ...Believe it or not guys, I'm as lost as you."

There was a long silence.

"Kurama?" said the Thirian.

The kitsune looked at him with a raised brow.

"Did you... were you two friends at one point?"

Youko's ear twitchedrevealing his uneasiness about Mia for the umpteenth time ashe looked back at her. "I'm not sure at the moment. The person I keep thinking of didn't even have a similar energy pattern. It's wishful thinking more than likely," his voice was a little more than a whisper.

Yuskue smirked. "Good old childhood friends, huh? Did you get to know her a bit better?" The sudden rise in energy in the room had signaled that the detective had hit a "no-touchy" spot. Everyone glared at him immediately, but none compared to the angered fox's.

With a heartless look, the plant manipulator took a step forward causing the hanyou to go back. Luckily though he never made his point clear because just then, the cave's ceiling collapsed.

----------

-10 Minutes Later-

----------

Yuskue coughed in a sad attempt to clear his throat from the dust and rubble lodged in it. "Kuwabara? Kurama? Hiei? Kerr? You guys alright?"

The human's scratchy voice replied here after a minute, "Here."

"Detective," the fire koorime muttered after the dust began to clear. "You worry too much." He stood upon the rubble with his normal eerie grace.

Kerr muttered something illegible and struggled to wedge his spear's blade under the rubble that caught his foot. All in all, it was very amusing to see him do this and still try not to cut offhis foot.

"How 'bout you Kurama? **Kurama**?" a slight panic rose in his voice. "KURAMA!" He looked to the piles of rock that blocked the way into the cave and out, growing more and more worried every minute. _He must be on another side of one of these...but still. _**"KURAMA!"**

**----------------------------------------------------------------**

Dun DUN **DUN! **next time, on Yu Yu Hakusho we will...whoops, can't say, guess you'll have to wait.

please R&R! PLEASE!


	3. Mysterious Women

_thought, flashback, or dream  
_**emphasized word**  
/telepathy/  
"speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters.

_**Chapter 3**_

Kurama blinked his eyes only to see pitch black. He was lying on his stomach and his entire body felt like a bulldozer had used it as a practice field. The kitsune attempted to move only to find a shooting pain through his arm far worse then what he had expected. With a groan he rolled onto his back and slowly lifted his hand in front of his face. An elegant, human hand was heavily cut by an odd looking rose that stubbornly stayed stuck in the fox's hand even as Kurama carefully shook his hand as he held it upside down and flexed it.

_This is ...inconvenient_. With a groan, he adjusted his body to minimize the damage when he removed the rose with the other hand and plucked it with a wince. He twirled it in front of his face as he laid on his back. It was a rather interesting and illogical plant. Soft white petals were probably the only thing that was even partially believable. The pure silver stem they grew from was another story together. It has intracately detailed, even the veins that a rose normally had where there, and just as small. Impossibly small for someone who wasn't a master silver smith. This fact was only enhanced by the prism like thorns that seemed to flow out of the silver length. If it wasn't for the scent of snow colored petals and leaves, Kurama would have seriously wondered it his new whip was a real plant

I should have know there would be a side effect, Kurama thought as he ran a fingure over the veins in the petals.

He sat up slowly and began to rip up his shirt to wrap his hand. Taking a cateen from his hip, he placed half the contents on his cloth scraps and gulped down the other half to keep from dehydrating. As he cleaned his wound he found the reason that his arm was so sore. The gash ran around the front of the kitsune's wrist and all the way up his arm in a spiral cut, just missing the arteries.

Glancing around the room, he saw Mia's collapsed body and immediately looked away with a green tint coming to his face.

With a sigh he began to wrap his arm as he remembered why he had the wound at all.

-Flashback in Kurama's Point of View-

_I walked next to Mia through the humid woods. It was quickly becoming a fight between my will and my curiosity; my need to search for the enemy and my desire to figure out the girl next to me. Unfortunately, my thought kept going back to the female._

Her thoughts are strong enough even to elude Hiei, revealing a strong will and power, but she gives off no aura -even a living one. This Mia appears to be very young and human, yet she grows at an abnormal rate and has been working for King Enma for over a century. There is no emotion in her tone, and every breathe she takes seems to absorb the energy around her rather that create it. She has little regard for life and is more silent than Hiei. There is no way she's human, yet I have a problem believing she's a demon.

_I attempted to glance under her hood, but she just gave me an odd, stare showing neither anger nor joy, pain or relief. Just a strange and unnerving glance that proceeded her pulling her hood down farther so I couldn't see her features. "We're here to examine the area, not my face," she said evenly. _

_I felt a blush creep over my features and went back to searching the area but soon found myself staring again. But this time it was to no avail. Her hood was tilted just past my vision and it was obvious that she was either ignoring me or she simply didn't care. Perhaps it was a combination of both. _

What are you, Mia?

_A twig snapped under my foot, dragging me back to reality, only to see that Mia had stopped about a yard back and was heading into a denser part of the woods. I moved quickly to get back to her, but quickly wished I hadn't. No, she wasn't using the restroom, but I might have felt better if she would have been. At least then I could have used the excuse that she was trying to sneak off, but alas, it was far worse. _

_Mia was hunched over two holes in the ground, each a little over a yard in width and endlessly deep. I flushed bright red and hoped that she would continue to ignore me. _Why? Why can't I keep my thoughts in control. It's never been a problem before_, I struggled. _I'm not attracted to her, yet I keep losing my power to stay focused. even when I nearly fall in a bottomless pit. Wh-

_"Kurama! Move Your Pretty Little Booty Before I Do, YOU SILVER-TAILED **PUSSY CAT!**" _

_**PUSSY CAT!** My Youko thoughts took over as my eyes focused on the scene around me. My human side suddenly wished I would have **not **responded to the insult, of course Youko would have none of that. _

_The two monsters in front of me were easily 20 to 30 feet long. The pair had cobra like bodies and spaded their hoods with dangerous hisses. The larger -a male- one had a more colorful pattern while the smaller -a female- lacked some of the more vibrant oil spill shades on it's neck. Vile looking venom gave an eerie glow in the looming dark as it slipped off their carnivorous teeth. _

_I felt my mouth hang open. My body was stuck between wanting to run and the desire to fight these powerful creatures. My normally quick acting body was frozen solid even as the giant cobras wheeled back and shot what appeared to be needles of venom from the black hole of it's throat. _

_A pain ran through my torso, but it wasn't from my offenders, it was from my companion tackling me in the side. We hit the ground hard and I heard the definite sound of the solid poison sinking into varying objects. I opened my eyes, that I hadn't noticed I closed in the first place to see only a great green blur. I felt Mia struggle to get off of me and I realized that such a hard blow to her body probably broke some ribs. I rolled from my belly to my back to only wish I hadn't for the umpteenth time in a row. _

_Facing the opposite direction was Mia. Her entire back was covered with poison needles that were sinking into her skin at an alarming rate. _

_I attempted to stand and help her but she spoke in a strong voice, "Stay." _

_She raised both hands above her head and chanted under her breathe. The light in the area seemed to be pushed away and the darkness drawn closer in an eerie spell that gave off no aura. As the spell continued, the two snakes swayed slightly and the collapsed. Lowering her hands, the shadows returned to normal as the light became steadier. _

_Mia turned to me with a sigh and tossed me the pouch that she had gained when the team had first met her. She looked up from under her hood and stared at me blankly, and once again I had the uncanny feeling that she had grown again. He pale skin now could make a vampire envious. Her black irises were only enhanced by an array of scars at the base of her neck as she sized me up. "The silver stone is yours," she muttered glancing down again. _

_I opened the bag only to find that it was not allowing any light in. Timidly, I reached my hand in under, what I expected to be, my companion's hooded gaze. I shifted through hands full of cold stones for several moments until my hand hit something warm. In a hopes of removing her uncomfortable gaze, I clasped my hand around it and pulled the bag away. I stared at the marble no bigger than my thumb with an odd interest as it shifted pale grey colors under it's surface. _

_"Nice to know you can use it so early," Mia muttered, bringing my attention back to her. "Now, can you figure it out before they wake up?" Suddenly she collapsed, the poison finally setting in. I caught her with one arm, and settled her on my back to carry her. It would be a while before it would settle in that it was normal for her to act in such a manner._

_A prick on my hand caught my attention just as I got her situated. Looking down at the marble, I saw it slowly form into a crystal colored rose. My aura began to switch and my skin began to shift into a familiar form. Without thinking twice I picked Mia up with the strength I didn't have previously, and ran back to camp. _

-Flashback End-

_Why was I so out of character?_ Kurama thought with a sigh._ It's not like me to become immobilized so easily. What is that woman doing to me? Why does her death **sting **me so bad? _

"KURAMA!" came Yuskue's voice from the other side of the wall of stone.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back, "I'M ALRIGHT YUSKUE!'

"ALRIGHT! Stay right there! I'm gonna blow the wall down!"

"Okay, give me a minute to mo-" but he was cut off as the cave in began to break apart_. He could have waited for me to reply at the least. _

The dust settled revealing not only a open-mouthed team on the other side but also the two cobras from before shifting upon the rubble.

Slithering against the floor, their scales made mercilessly grating sounds. The female stretched out it's long neck and sniffed Mia's body with a salivating mouth. The male just stared with hungry eyes.

A flame rose in Kurama's throat. Without thinking, the kitsune drew his normal rose-whip and struck out against the cobra, It reared back and hissed a horrible screeching sound. The male soon followed with a much deeper version, but Kurama just stared at them with gold-green eyes.

"Just Drop It, Kurama! A dead body isn't worth you're life!" Kuwabara yelled.

But he was soundly ignored as he glared down the two demons. The female glared at him, obviously not used to something penetrating it's scales. It shoot venom at him that Kurama now easily avoided, now too angry to worry about what would happen if he became poisoned. A tail came around and hit Kurama hard in the side causing him to drop to the ground and dodge roll the next round of needles. With a flick of his wrist, he snapped out again only to have the snake's aura to pick up and repell his attack. It's hood spread wider as it's head reared back, collecting energy in order to strike. Despite his team's pleas and all common since, Kurama stood his ground, preparing to take what he could.

"KKHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" The female wheeled around to see her mate shaking it's head in pain and confusion. Inside it's gaping mouth was one of it's own main fangs, broken off and rammed into it's hard palette. Crouched on it's haunches beneath him was Mia, sucking the poison out of her left hand.

Kurama's body gave a jolt. It wasn't possible, she even smelled dead. Yet there she was, staring at the male with indifferent eyes from under her reraised hood. The lesser colored cobra struck at her only to have the small girl jump on it's head and ram two, long acupuncture needles into it's eye sockets and kill it instantly. The male gave out another hideous screech as he dove at her. Rocks flew as the head collided with the stone floor. As the dust settled, there stood Mia, staring blankly at the fang sticking up through the dead snake's head. Slowly she pulled a vial out of her cloak and began extracting venom from the cobras' fangs.

Slowly the fox walked up behind her. "What...happened?" The rest of the team soon circled around them except for Hiei who watched from the side of the cave.

The young woman finished her job without speaking, and slowly stood to face Kurama with blank eyes.

WHAM!

Kurama took a step back with wide eyes, gently holding the side of his quickly bruising face. Mia stared at him, a slight amount of anger flickering in her eyes as she lowered her hand. She spoke with a clear voice despite the confused and angry faces glaring at her. "Never use an antidote that has a fifty percent chance of killing the person without factoring in the death rate of the poison currently in the person's body, even if it is a cure all and the only thing at hand. Especially if there is a healer in the group."

"You were dying, Mia." Kerr spoke quietly for the dumb-struck kitsune.

She glanced at him. "I should tell you all now, there are only three poisons in these worlds that can harm me. Only one of which can kill me, but it has to sit for over a year, and I have yet to find records of that poison in this current time period." She glanced at the ceiling before pulling her tattered cloak about her. "It's about to collapse," she said, walking towards the now opened, and night covered exit.

---------------------------

No one had bothered to yell at Mia. Something about her talking so much at once at such a confident level had shut them all up. Except for perhaps, Hiei, who just refused to talk to her all around.

Kerr soon healed Kurama's throbbing face when the group found a considerable campsight around what was probably midnight. One by one the group began dropping off to sleep leaving a wide awake Kurama and a dozing Hiei.

Suddenly, the kitsune's head jerked behind him. After a glance around the camp, he seemed confident that everyone was asleep and trotted off silently. A minute later, the koorime started off at a much more leisurely pace and soon began to hear voices.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking of me?" he heard Kurama hiss.

"I'm perfectly aware," came a deep female voice that raised hairs on the back of Hiei's neck.

"Myth, be reasonable! I trust him with my life."

"I only ask you to react if he turns," replied this Myth calmly.

"I will not kill Hiei!"

"He is much too like his grandfather, Axton, Youko."

"I have yet to see how this is a problem!"

Myth growled, "Just watch him." Hiei peeked around a tree to see a tall woman, easily Kurama's height, with flowing purple hair and blood red eyes staring directly at him. For some reason, her stare caught him off guard and he stood there blankly. "It shouldn't be too hard, considering he likes to follow you." And with that her image dimmed and faded like smoke in the breeze.

Hiei came out into the small clearing, sauntering slightly. "So, do you want to kill me now? Or perhaps latter would be more convienent for you?"

Kurama blanched. "I have no intention of-"

"Save it for someone who cares," the demon hissed acidly as he turned away.

Kurama caught his shoulder turned him around to face him with gold eyes "I will not harm you, Hiei. That has never been my intention." With that Kurama walked back to camp, leaving Hiei to contimplate how much he valued his friendship with the fox.


	4. Meet the Opponet

P.S.- If you have a question to a chapter that is not the newest one, please review to that chapter (or with the newest one, but remind me which chapter you're talking about) so I can answer your question or fix the chapter to make it more clear.

**----------------------**

_**Chapter 4**_

Hiei sat drumming his fingers. Part of him said to turn against Kurama now before the fox could strike at him. Another said to be patient, he had seemed genuine, though that was hardly an excuse.

And then there was Myth. Everytime he even thought of the woman, his Jagan burned white hot and the hair stood up on the back of his neck as if to warn him of something. Something he couldn't quite remember.

The fire koorime looked down from the branch he was perched on. Kurama was asleep, sitting against a tree. Kuwabara was snoring obnoxiously. Yuskue muttered and gave a jolt everyonce and a while. Even Kerr looked totally relaxed lying on his stomach. Mia was perhaps the only one who seemed even slightly prepared, and that was because she was awake, staring blankly into the quickly dying embers as she had been everytime he looked at her through the night. _What an odd child._

Mia stood up slowly and walked over to Kerr. She gave his body a poke with her toe and the large man slowly woke.

Rolling onto his back, Kerr was immediately greeted by Mia's shadowed face. \What is it?\ he asked her.

\The fire demon is being overly cautious. Something does not appear to be settleing well with him.\

The Thirian gave her an annoyed look. \Please tell me you didn't wake me up for just that. If so, I'm going back to sleep.\

\You act as though I'd let you. You should wake up the others, it is nearing seven in the morning by human time.\

Kerr stretched and gave a great yawn. \Whatever you say, oh wise one,\ he sent in a sarcastic tone as he stood and began waking the others.

Mia sighed and walked out of camp past Hiei's tree. The koorime did not look happy. For some reason he couldn't intercept the conversation between the two new comers. All he heard was a bunch of babble.

"That was Atlantian Code," came a whispered voice.

Hiei jumped and drew his sword. There, balancing on the branch behind him, was Mia. "Surprised, appirition? Surely you didn't think I was without some abilities?" Again she spoke in that non-mocking voice that Hiei loathed so much.

"Perhaps, onna, I should warm my blade."

"Don't be foolish. I simply thought you might want to know that the Thirian and I speak in code, and that you are only wasting your own energy by listening in."

"Get away from me," he growled, eyes glowing dangerously.

"As you wish," Mia replied in hushed tones. She jumped down and slipped into the woods.

**--------------------**

"You can't be serious," grumbled Yuskue. "You wake me up, and then fifteen minutes later expect me to start climbing a mountain! Forget it," he sat down with a stuborn look on his face. "No way, no how."

Mia glared at him from under her hood, but even her eyeless gaze that sent chills down his spine wasn't enough to move the stubborn battle demon.

Kurama sighed. "Come now, Yuskue, you can't give up so early. Plus, it's only a small mountain. There isn't even any snow at the top."

"I'm **not** giving up, I'm going on strike."

"A strike is normally unsuccessful when only one is involved."

Kuwabara sat as well causing the fox to groan.

Suddenly Kerr got a large, boyish grin on his face. "Let them stay, Kurama, then they won't get hurt."

"What's THAT supposed to mean!" yelled the human.

"Simply that Mia scouted this morning and found a formidable team."

Yuskue's face broke into a smile very different from the Atlantian's. "A fight, huh? Well then, lead the way." He stood easily and looked a Kuwabara. "You coming, complainer?"

"Darnit, Urameshi, you're the one who started this!"

"No, I don't think I did." He blinked innocently, tapping his chin.

"Like hell you didn't!" He tackled the hanyou to the ground in a sad attempt to harm him. And it was on.

Until Mia had her say.

"Enough, you fools." Her voice was raspy, and cut smoothly through the rucus. Suddenly the fact that she had come back from the dead hit them hard like a slap in the face. She was still very weak, apparently. "Save your energy on where it's needed."

"Lighten up, kid," smiled Yuskue weakly, "We're just playin', like always."

"Some traditions are arogant and need to be broken," she snapped in a tone that told that this was the end of the discussion.

Sadly, Yukue never took insults lightly. "Hey! What's your problem?"

"I'm surrounded by idiots that couldn't sneak by a bear that was hibernating and deaf."

"Alright, that's it!" The detective pushed Kuwabara off and stomped over to the girl. "Just because youre spooky, doesn't mean you can push us around! I refuse to-...to," he stared at the cold dagger tip coming out of Mia's cloak and pointing at his torso.

"No, you'll listen to me because Koenma sent me to guide you, and I have more ways than even Hiei could think of to make your life worse than Hell."

"Now, you see, I don't think that's possible," he replied cockily.

"You will often find, Yuskue Urameshi," she put her dagger away and turned. "That physical pain is not what make the strong fall." She jumped easily up the mountain, her figure shifting from one place to the next like a shadow.

"I believe she has decided to move with or without us," stated Kurama, following soon after he made his statement.

The climb was a steep, harsh journey that caused every bone to ache that wasn't already chilled by the altitude. Hiei was the only one who seemed unthankful for the cave near the top, and this was probably only because his body could easily sustain in cold weather.

Mia sank to her knees in the middle of the cave and began rummaging through her small bag at her belt.

Hiei stood at the entrance, staring out into the cold, noon air as the others searched the cave.

It was large in size. The cavern they were in know appeared to be carved out by hand and could have easliy fit two houses in it. The back wall and ceiling were untouched by the gloomy light let in by the small entrance.

Kerr moved to stand near Hiei. He stared into the accumulating clouds with wise eyes that took the koorime slightly off guard. After a moment, he turned back into the cave with his regular features. "It's going to storm, Mia. Bad."

She shrugged.

"I wanted to fight something," Yuskue groaned.

Kurama sighed. "It may be for the best, most of us are tired from the vertical climb."

"Yeah," muttered Kuwabara, "I feel like my limbs are falling off."

"You sound like a tree," scoffed Yuskue. "The whole** Battle Royal** thing sounded like fun at first, but right now it seems like everyone is just trying to sneak around."

Kerr scratched the back of his head for a moment before responding. "About one fifth of the teams are gone already. The weak one's left are trying to hold out until the others are too tired to fight. The strong one's are making bee lines and are pointless to fight now because they'll probably collapse from exhaustion soon. The smart groups are picking people off, one by one, binding their time and energy."

"So," muttered Hiei, thurning to look at Mia and not Kerr. "Which are we? Weak or intelligent?"

"Currently, both." Everyone stared at her blankly. "You've all reached the uper levels for demons, but many of the creatures aren't of demon origins, and easily surpass this group. While we are not weak, there are most assuredly stronger here.

"Now, if you would be so kind, Hiei," she added after a moment, "As to move away from the entrace, I would appreciate it."

The fire appirition glared at her. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by voices above his head. As they became louder and more distinct, he shifted away from the opening.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Sergio?" came a rough, deep voice.

"I'm sure, Carmine," replied a calm, velvety voice that made you wonder what he looked like.

"For once in your life, can't you just trust him?" questioned a man with an average sound about him.

"Shut up, Gino. I can handle myself," shot Carmine.

"You handle yourself as well as you make jokes," said a laughter filled air about him.

**"HEY!"**

"Now, Vinny, you know better," said a male with a deep, shadowy sound. "To use similies around Carmine would require him to think."

"That's enough, Dominic," said a guy in a half-felt attempt, his voice dying against Carmine's rantings.

"Who died and made you king?" hissed Dominic.

"Angelo's right, we all need to shut up." Gino muttered. "The storm is coming." But the rucus continued to rise as the tension grew.

Mia slunk farther into the cave as the voices came right above their heads. She slipped into the shadows in the back until nothing of her could be seen.

The others soon took the hint and followed suit.

**"I SAID ENOUGH! NOW SHUT THE HECK UP, ALL OF YOU!"** There was a few more harsh words from the rest of the group before the sound of someone's getting his face slammed in echoed through the cave. A tall, muscular man that seemed to have arms and legs a bit too long for him dropped head first infront of the entrance. He sat up almost instantly despite the drop and held his nose. "Dambit, Gino, you dibn'b hab to hib me so harb."

Kerr muttered something under his breathe.

Another man jumped down. This one had his hair short and sleeked in the back with long bangs the front. His features were thin and snake like. "Should've listened then."

"You were yelling just as loud, Dominic" a younger man with deep set eyes and slouching, yet well built body was the next down. He stood, shaking some of the now falling rain from his knee length hair.

"Shut it, Angelo, I can pick on the oaf as much as I'd like."

Another man jumped down, but Angelo replied before he could speak. "Carmine. His name is Carmine. Just because you were away for five years doesn't mean you can treat them like dirt."

"Watch me."

Angelo leaned against a wall and did so.

"That's enough," replied the man who had just jumped down, Vinny. "You two fight more now then before we all split up. And here I didn't think that was possible." He had a muscular, straight as a board build on him that only came with constant discipline. This thought was only backed by his buzz cut. Despite that, he had a friendly air about him.

The snake like man glared at Vinny and opened his mouth to say something when the last two figures dropped.

"Ab leab you sbill resbec Gino oo sobe debree," muttered Carmine under his breathe. His broken nose made awful whistling sounds as he spoke.

One of the men smiled weakly at this coment giving him away as Gino. He was actually only the second tallest there (next to Angelo), yet he held himself proudly -yet not to the degree that it was snobbish- as though he had earned his station. His hair was average looking as was the rest of him, but still, something about him was unnatural.

"That's because he's the eldest," said the last man, Sergio. He patted his brother on the shoulder and walked into the cave. Sergio was a hair's width at being unbelievable. He easily gave Kurama a run for his money in to looks department. Narrow eyes were framed with eyelashes so long that they were almost girly. His shap, attractive features were softened by a warm smile. His hair was probably shoulder blade length and was pulled at the nape of his neck and wrapped loosely so a few strands fell like bangs. Sergio had a strong, V-shaped torso that went into long, muscular legs. By far, he was the one that stood out the most.

"It takes more than birth order to gain my respect," growled Dominic.

Angelo sighed and shook his head. "I don't suppose-"

"No, you don't," he growled.

"Leab da rub alom."

"Thanks," Angelo muttered dryly.

"Shut it, **runt,**" Dominic added with a cruel smile.

His sibling just gave him a meaningless glance that set his comrade's teeth on edge.

Gino groaned, "Just for a month, can we work to gether like the **family we are!**"

Vinny chuckled and patted the man on the back. "Just because we're brothers, doesn't mean we have to like each other. In fact, it gives us more reason not to." He left Gino to rubbing the bridge of his nose in stress, and moved onto Carmine.

"Fell on your face again, huh?" He ruffled the large man's spiked hair, obviously just to annoy him. "Told you not to do that." He began to wrap his brother's head with glowing bandages as the our team looked over the group.

Though they were very different in appearence, but there were many similarities that gave away that they were relatives. They all had black hair and bright green eyes. All their clothing, while in different styles to match their looks and personality, was of the same green cotton, embriodered with black and appeared to be very durable.

Mia stood up to her full height in the shadows. "Gentlemen, I present to you your first challenge."

The enemy wheeled to look into the cave. "Who's there?" questioned Gino, his face going hard.

Kuwabara laughed as he stood. "I barely sense anything."

"They're good at hiding their energy trail, you dolt," muttered Hiei, coming off the back wall.

Angelo looked back with a smile. "I wondered how long they were going to hide."

**"YOU KNEW THEY WERE HERE!"** Bellowed Carmine, sending Vinny head over heels.

"I was going to say something, but Dominic decided it wasn't necessary."

Yuskue smirked and began walking forward. "They fight more than we do."

"Don't underestimate them. I put up a shield so they couldn't sense it and the small one still found us."

"You mean the runt?" said Kuwabara. Angelo twitched.

"Don't get attached," hissed Mia.

"Do you worry about us, little girl?" Dominic sneered.

She simply stared at him from under her hood making her oponent tense up.

"Ansewr me."

"..."

He swore crudely at her causing Vinny to laugh. "She gets under your skin as much as Angelo."

Thunder cracked outside causing Carmine to jump away from the entrance. Water poured in making the ground become soppy and slick.

"There's no reason to fight now," Mia muttered sitting on the ground.

Everyone, including the opposite team stared at her in disbelief.

Suddenly, Sergio gave a silky laugh, "She has a point."

"Have you completely lost you mind, brother?" Carmine said with a horrified stare.

"No," said Gino, a smile slowly draining off his features. "She's right."

"Well, would you fill us all in?" growled Yuskue. "I'm dying to know."

"Don't get attached!" Mia hissed urgently.

"I'm NOT!"

The cave above them gave a shudder.

"This alcove is old, it could collapse if-"

"We have a full fledged battle," Kurama finished Sergio's sentence. "The water making everything softer is not helping either."

Gino nodded. "Plus we're all tired. Fighting now would only have the outcome based on luck."

Hiei grumbled under his breathe leaning against the wall once more. "So, we're just supposed to sit here and share the cave?"

"That would be nice," whispered Mia, appearing to be nodding off in her sitting position.

"No WAY!" Yelled Yuskue. "I will not stay in here with the enemy!"

The cave gave a tremendous shake that drowned out the thunder and lightning outside.

"We'll cause a cave in if we fight here. And climbing a mountain at this height in a thunder storm is suicide. We'll all stay put until the storm clears and dries out." The frail girl gave a bone ratteling cough. "**Then** you can all beat the crap out of each other."

Everyone stared at Mia in awe. Despite the fact that her voice was nearly gone and her body sounded like it was about to fall apart, she still spoke with an authority that sent chills down the backs of ten of the other eleven people. It just irked Hiei to no end.

Dominic was the first to recover. "There is no way I'm going to-"

"Let it go," said Gino with a sigh. "She's right."

Hiei could have swore the snake's eyes became slitted. "There is no way I'm going to listen to that-"

"You can beat me black and blue when the storms over, fool. Just wait until the floor dries or you'll kill us all." Mia gave him a rare look out from under her hood and, for some reason, it caused him to shut up immediately.

Angelo broke out into a wide grin for the first time. "She's mine when this get's started."

The strange girl didn't reply. Instead she just sat there, looking dead.

Kurama gave Kerr a pleading look, but the Thirian shook his head with and mouthed 'she-won't-let-me.'

The kitsune looked like he wanted to strangle something for a moment before quickly regaining his composure and sitting against the wall, watching the water slowly leak in.

Gino let out a deep breathe and glanced around, searching the group for a moment before giving out a heavy sigh of defeat.

Yuskue watched him with curiosity. _This one is the leader, and the eldest apparently. But I can barely sense anything from them... perhaps they're like Mia. She seems to manage pulling off threats without any strength behind it yet... I still shiver at her glance. Are these people like her? _He let out a frustrated groan and flopped into a Indian-stlye position, his leg bouncing impatiently. _Who cares! First fight I get, and I have to **wait** for it! _

Dominic stood straight in the middle of the room, eyes closed, supposedly in complete control of his emotions. But Hiei saw right through that.

Not that he was any better.

The koorime glanced every once and a while to the resting Mia. She was quiet enough to be sleeping, yet, unlike most unconcious minds, her mind was well protected.

"You might as well give it up," muttered Angelo, somehow managing to sneak up on the koorime while his head was bowed. "It's a stone wall, no way in, even if she was sleeping. Honestly though, I think she's scrying. Hard to tell." With a child like bound, he dodged Hiei's carelessly swung sword and plopped himself down infront of Mia. An intrigued look came over his face as he shifted from side to side shamelessly, trying to get a look at her face.

"That's very distracting," she whispered.

Angelo's face brightened. "Finally, a response."

"You're very open all the sudden."

"What can I say. You're a bit creepy."

"And that arouses the desire in you to try and find the reason why, even at the cost of your own head? How interesting," her voice cracked on the last word and she gave another great cough.

"You shouldn't be out in weather like this just after cutting it so close."

Hiei stared at he small man -in all his glorious long-haired innocense- and couldn't believe his ears. "How did you know that?"

"She still has some basilisk venom in her blood," he said looking at the fire demon curiously. "Odd how she blocks you out that much. She must **really** not like you."

His red eyes flickered black. "And why would you say that?"

"Because between her physical condition and her lack of Spirit energy, it's probably killing her to keep you out with that Jagan."

The koorime's eyes widened. He was sure he hadn't givin off any glow while trying to break into Mia's mind. "What did you just say?"

"Don't look so surprised, it gives off an aura all it's own. Yours is remarkably close, must be why they stuck you with the original."

Hiei's curiosity got the best of him. "Original?"

"I don't know the whole story," he muttered sadly, but Sergio was a step ahead of him.

"Apparently some demons found your eye and tried to use it only to backfire on them. They soon turned it over to some genesists who slowly studied it over the years until they figured out the basics in how it worked. They then reconstructed new eyes and tried them on some...volunteers until they got it right. No one's possesed the original one -except you- since it's been found."

"...interesting"

Mia gave out a great sigh. "Idiots. We're preparing for a fight, not a reunion. Shut up, before you start hugging."

"What are you so worried about?" yelled Yuskue. "You tell us to stay in here together until the rain stops, **and you want us to be QUIET!** No can do!"

"Is that all you say? You're very pessamestic."

"You're not one to talk." He muttered.

"The rain could last all night with how much the air smells. You keep your talking up at this rate, and only a third of us will be fighting when it's dried out because you all care too much."

Angelo leaned back. "Lighten up."

"No, Vakilian, I won't."

The small man looked like his face was going to split in two from his smile. "So you do have some abilities! I didn't even feel you reach out. How incrediable!"

Gino laughed. "You better stop girl, or you may be recieving the first hug. I haven't seen Angelo this curious in years."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Ah," grined the man before her, "But satisfaction brought him back."

The creature looked up, her eyes as chillingly bottomless as ever. "Cats only have nine lives." With that she stood and walked away to stare at the rainy expanse before her.


	5. The Battle Begins

_**Chapter 5**_

It had stopped. The sun shone through the entry as it began to set. It had been over two days without a major battle, and now it was getting dark.

Mia looked back from her spot for the first time in hours, reminding the group of the owls from magic shops that never moved until you touched something that you shouldn't have. Then you knew you were in trouble. Her glance seem to have the same effect. "...You may want to start while there is still light."

"Yeah," muttered Yuskue, "On you."

Gino smiled lightly, looking at Yuskue. "So...how are we going to do this?"

The hanyou raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the leader, correct?"

"So I've been told."

"So, do you just want to attack recklessly all at once?"

"Yeah," he said with a vicious smile, "Yeah, I do."

Gino continued to smile gently. "Good, I was worried there for a minute." He craned his neck to look at Angelo -who was sitting in the middle of the cave staring at Mia- and gave him a perplexing look.

"Vo taxsv bo zso ito." Angelo replied calmly. "Bev, A took vi vofp."

"Make sure. We need to know."

Dominic glared at him. "There is no way."

"Trust his judgement for once."

His brother snorted, but said no more.

The small man stood, brushing the dirt off his pants. "Let's get this over with." Suddenly his attitude was as it was before he became interested.

Yuskue smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Here we go."

The teams formed two lines. The brothers were towards the back while the detectives had their figures outlined by the setting sun, even Mia.

The pairings turned out as follow.

Yuskue vs. Gino

Kuwabara vs. Carmine

Mia vs. Angelo

Kurama vs. Sergio

Hiei vs. Dominic

Kerr vs. Vinny

As by some unseen cue, the chaos began. Yuskue launched a blast, sending the opposing team back. Gino was the first to react, throwing a heavy punch at Yuskue. Kuwabara and Carmine appeared to be having a match of pool chicken without the people under them. Their hands were locked and energy poured off them both as the tried to pull the other to the ground. Vinny and Kerr both had long swords and were beginning to look a lot like midevil knights. Except for Vinny's buzz cut. That ruined it completely. Kurama danced around with his rose-whip, trying to hit Sergio and his metal claws. Angelo and Mia were long gone, to who knows where.

Well, Hiei knew where, but he was to busy with Dominic to care. The man was easily as fast and the koorime, and equally unpredictable. He carried two hand scythes and used them in such an odd manner that it threw the fire demon off guard entirely.

He dodged, time after time, trying to find his opening, but the snake like man always managed to use the other scythe as a guard. It wasn't going well. Finally, he realized that Dominic wasn't going to give him an opening. With a swift move, he planted his heels and gave a ninety-degree turn directly into his opponent's face. Dominic faltered and stood dumb-founded for the split second that Hiei needed. The koorime swung once with his katana and sent the man flying into the wall.

Dominic gave a grunt and the distinct sound of ribs breaking came from his torso as he hit cold stone. He shuddered slightly and stood. "Bastard."

"You don't give up, do you?" muttered Hiei attacking again. Dominic quickly found it was useless for him to continue to fight. His cracked ribs lowered his speed just enough for Hiei to get past his defenses again and again.

The snake like man sunk to his knees, cuts covering his body. His breath came short in his lungs, and he could feel blood leaking into his punctured organ at an alarming rate. Dominic coughed up the blood, his body's sad attempt to remove the misplaced fluid. He looked up at Hiei, his eyes determined to remain conscious until dead.

The fire demon raised his sword to the side, not giving the man a chance to attack him, and came down hard.

Sadly, it was his body that fell not his weapon. A powerful blast of air or unseen energy swept through the cave before he could administer the death blow.

Rolling to his feet, he glanced at his opponent to see the man collapsed from either the blow the ground took to the side of his head or the blood loss. Either way, it gave him the chance to see what caused the sudden gust of wind. What he saw chilled him to the bone.

Angelo was on his knees in the back of the cave, energy flooding off him in sheets of green tinted light, hand phasing like a ghost's through where Mia's heart would be. A conquer's smile played across his lips. This alone would be terrifying enough, but as he pulled his clenched fist out and stood straight, it got worse.

Mia's body gave an involuntary shudder and what color that was in her pale features drained from her revealed face. Her pupils shrank and her arms went limp at her side. But she breathed. In shaky breaths, but her standing body was breathing none the less.

Angelo opened his clasped hand, revealing a soul gem. He stared at it as though he could read it like a book. The small man's face slowly became more and more confused as the crystal sparkled up at him. Slowly his aura began to fade and the shadows crept upon him, swallowing him whole as though punishing him for his act.

"No!" croaked Kerr's voice from near the entrance. Hiei turned to see the Atlantian glancing painfully into the shadows. Despite the Thirian's bruised and battered form. "Gino, get him out of there!"

The man blinked. "Why? This is a fight after all." Gino moved away from Yuskue's defeated body. He rubbed the blood off the cuts on his arms as the detective's body finally gave out and collapsed amongst Carmine's and Kuwabara's. "We all have to pay something. Your leaders was his pride. The girl's price was just a little higher."

"You don't understand!" Kerr stumbled to his feet. "You can't let Angelo do that!"

Kurama and Sergio stopped their fight, which up till this point had been at a dead draw. They each only had a few scratches.

"Why? It's not like he's going to eat the soul."

The Thirian gave out a shriek of frustration and stumbled over Vinny's battle scarred form and grabbed Gino from his current action of staring at Yuskue's defeated form. Kerr's voice cracked as he attempted to yell, "**It's not what it looks like**! **SHE'LL**-"

The sound of shattering glass filled their ears.

A second gust of wind blew away his words and the strange human's hands slipped from Gino's collar. That's when Hiei saw it. Fear. It was etched in to every line of the man's face.

Light began to flow from the entrance into the back of the cave, swirling like a black hole. The color drained with it, as though something was pulling the very life from everything around them and in them.

No energy came from whatever was causing it, yet the Thirian took steps away from the back as though a mighty beast loomed in the shadows.

Slowly two forms appeared foggily against the darkness. The light was drawn to the connecting point between Mia and Angelo. As it grew, Hiei could feel his mind grow weak from energy loss, yet all he wanted to know was what was causing him to feel like he should join the shadows.

Despite the fact that only he, Kerr, and Gino were left standing near the light.

The fighters became black silouets in the dark. One was standing, gathering the light in it's hand that held the other off the ground by the head. The latter form was struggling soundlessly, hands clawing at their unrelenting captor. A wave of light shoot down the dangling body and a scream filled the air. But it wasn't the one Hiei was prepared to hear.

Gino gaped, "Angelo!" He started forward only to be hurled back by Kerr shoving his way by.

The large man ran forward, sword griped deathly tight in his scared hands. "**Mia! STOP!**"

The girl gave him a dead look so creepy and mechanical it stopped Gino from following. But the Atlantian continued. "Drop him!"

"Stay back, Thirian." Her voice had a metallic undertone so cold that Hiei drew his sword out of instinct. The small woman, some how still managing to hold up the victim by the head despite her obvious lack of muscle tone, held up her other hand straight at Kerr.

Hiei couldn't figure out how she did it, but an unseen force slammed the much larger man into the stones. She then lowered her arm at a leisurely pace and continued to stare at the struggling man in her hands.

Kerr growled. "Should've called him back when you had the chance."

Gino gave him a startled look, his composed features cracking for the first time. "What happened?"

"Why don't you ask her. She'll probably be generous enough to answer our questions before she kills us all."

The leader of the opposing team stared at him, wide eyed. "She couldn't take us all!"

"Watch her... especially if she thinks you all can do that soul thing as well. And if she thinks one of us could pick up that trick anyway, she'll wack off our heads too. Then, when she realizes that we'll want revenge she'll just blow the whole cave up. She's logical like that."

"There-" the light gathered in an explosive display of sound and energy. Mia, looking the same as she did just half and hour ago, dropped Angelo's writhing form. Markings covered the small man's body in symmetrical form. His once human appearance and been shifted into a form of demonic characteristics. Fangs grew out from under his upper lip. Small claws, similar to Hiei's, covered Angelo's fingers. The man was curled into the fetal position, holding his head.

Mia moved away from the body, the swirling light and color in her hand casting eerie shadows on her sharp features. She walked towards the group as she pulled up her hood and spoke, "So... you're of the royal family?" Her tone was conversational and smooth.

Gino, his eyes taking turns staring at his suffering brother to the strange woman before him. "What if we are?"

"Just...curious." She sat on a rock and tucked one leg under the other. "Your brother it quite a special person despite how much his twin berates him."

"Keep your mouth off my brothers," Gino hissed.

"I praise someone, and I'm treated like a criminal?" Though she worded it as a question, and even spoke is so, there was an undertone in her voice that spoke galaxies more. "How unjust."

"Look at what you did to him!"

"It's his fault. I don't take kindly to people trying to peep into my soul. Not to mention he shattered a casing that took a year to make. That in itself is enough for him to have a little pain."

"A **LITTLE**! HIS BODY IS CONTACTING INTO A $#&# BALL!"

Mia glanced up from under her hood. "The sudden transformation is all that pains him. Such a force causes the mind to have to shut down for a moment to reconnect with the new physical changes, giving the body a massive migraine. He'll live."

Kerr stared at the woman before him. "He..."

"Didn't reach my soul...luckily for him. I nearly swept off his head before I regained control." Her voice was deeper than normal.

"How long are your memories from this life going to be faded?"

"Not a clue, I'm afraid."

Gino relaxed ever so slightly as he went to his brother. "What was it he had then? Angelo is very powerful in that area... it's hard to believe that he could miscalculate so much."

"I ... have my ways of hiding it from intruders. Though I have to admit, he hid that talent very well. I didn't even sense a the royal blood in him until the last second."

Hiei stared in disbelief. This was the woman who said not to get attached! What the heck happened? He glanced back to Angelo to see him walk forward, gasping for air, one eye closed in pain. "G-girl," he panted nearly collapsing against the wall.

She turned her head slightly under her hood and stared at him. In the same conversational tone, she answered, "Yes?"

The small man threw the shell of a soul he had pulled from her with a mischievous grin. "It's only a matter of time before they come for it."

Mia caught it easily with a uncaring shrug, her voice switching back to the one that Hiei loathed so much. "That's life. I don't suppose you're going to keep your mouth shut."

"N-not a chance." The man struggled with a last glittering smirk before going unconscious.

Mia let the orb hover in front of her for a moment before it floated back to it's rightful place. She stood and squared her shoulders at Gino. "Nothing personal." Before the man could fight back, Mia slammed the hilt of a dagger -Hiei could only imagine where she got it from- into the man's temple, causing him to collapse in a heap.

The defeated team slowly faded away.

"I hope you don't kill me for leaving you in this situation, Hiei." Her tone was sarcastic.

The koorime raised a suspicious brow. "What are you talking about."

"If I grated on your nerves, Edeth will have no head by the end of tomorrow."

"Who the hell is Edeth?"

"Your new team mate." With that she shuddered and passed out against the stone wall behind her.

"Hello," echoed a male voice behind him, causing the fire demon to groan silently.


	6. Hello Edeth

_**Chapter 6**_

**-----------------------**

This was the final straw. He had dealt with her smart aleck remarks, her cold stares, even her harsh insults that were aimed not only at him, but at the few people he considered worth respecting. But this. This was unacceptable. The new 'teammate' had yet to introduce himself, even after **staring** at the koorime for several minutes, his own face not even four inches from Hiei's. Needless to say, the newcomer nearly lost his head as Mia had predicted.

Currently, 'Edeth' was walking around inspecting each of the members. He didn't touch them, he seemed to be simply evaluating their injuries. He didn't spend much time on the half awake Kerr. This was probably because the tired Thirian swung his long sword at the goggling male after about a minute. With a turn from Mia's body, who he had spent the most time staring at, he began walking back to the fire demon leaning against the entrance, giving Hiei the chance to look him over.

He was average height, around Kurama's size. This 'Edeth' had mossy green hair that fell into his face in small strands as it shone naturally in the little light. His build was sturdy and reliable and his face was set in an almost childlike glow that the koorime found unbearably obnoxious.

_Even Kuwabara doesn't smile that dumbly, _thought Hiei irritably.

But that really what got him most. It was his eyes. Despite his innocent appearance, his eyes stony and colored in a steel gray to match this feel. They seemed to carry no emotion that lasted for over a minute, and made the koorime uneasy. But he couldn't place his finger on why. It wasn't that his eyes were cold and cruel like Mia's, in fact they were accepting and content.

So what was it?

Then it hit him.

With one swift movement, Hiei swung out his katana at 'Edeth.' The eyes were identical in color to those of the changeling Karaz that had attacked them twice.

The changeling moved out of the way with a movement so swift, it was startling. _How did he gain so much speed?_ Hiei continued his relentless barrage of swipes, barely missing him each time. His opponent made no move for a weapon, yet he seemed to grow less and less confident with every swing as the koorime gained speed. Suddenly, Hiei saw it. The changeling hadn't gotten faster, he was sinking into the floor as he moved, lowering himself out of each swing. The sword master fainted with his weapon and then swung low and pulled the changeling's feet out from beneath him. Pulling the blade above his head he prepared to cut of the intruders head, only to see him staring up at him with wide eyes. He faltered.

The changeling opened his mouth and spoke for the first time since 'hello'. "Well, Jagan Eye, I had heard that you were not talkative, but tying to kill me before I open my mouth is just a **bit** much don't you think?" His voice was that of a normal guy about twenty-five with a slightly hoarse tone to it. Nothing special. Not Karaz's either.

"Don't let Karaz trick you. Just cut off his head." Kerr was on his feet, sword now replaced with the spear from his belt.

"**Karaz!**" the changeling gagged on the word. "Don't insult me! I may be a changeling but I'm not that **disgusting. **My name is Edeth, as Mia so kindly told you."

Hiei brought the blade down next to his head in such a quick movement that 'Edeth' winced. "You have two minutes to convince me I shouldn't kill you."

"Because Koenma would have a fit like you've never seen and Mia would probably leave you stranded here in the middle of the island."

"...I doubt that woman cares about anyone that much, let alone a changeling. She seems to hate your race the most," Kerr muttered.

"Mia may be a cold hearted hag, but she still has emotions," Edeth growled at the Atlantion, looking truly angered by what Kerr had said.

Hiei pulled his blade out and stood straight. "We'll ask Mia when she wakes up. If you're not someone Koenma or her sent for," Hiei gave an evil sneer, "Then I'll really have to burn you alive."

Edeth flinched, sitting up with a nod.

/Are you sure that's wise/ questioned Kerr.

/He didn't sink through the floor despite the fact he was more than capable of. Either his real master will falay him alive if he returns empty handed, or he is who he claims to be./

/...Wonderful./ The Thirian stopped the link after that sarcastic remark, causing Hiei to glare at him.

Edeth had moved while they were talking. He was now physically inspecting Mia's wounds.

"Don't bother," Kerr growled in a voice that made the koorime smirk. "She's mainly suffering from battle fatigue. She'll wake up in an fifteen minutes to an hour depending on how far she pushed herself."

"Well, if her appearance is any clue, then I'm guessing towards the longer side."

"What gives you that idea?" Kerr grumbled walking towards Edeth. _The Atlantian does **not **trust this man in the slightest_, thought Hiei, still smirking.

"She's all sweaty and clammy. Unless she's been doing some very stupid things, this isn't good. I've never seen her like this."

" 'Never seen her like this?' "

"I've known her since she started working for Koenma."

"Ah...well does being dead for an extended period of time, unlocking a royal illusion, manipulating reality, and growing," he looked under Mia's hood an smirked, "Four years in less than half of one count as 'stupid things?' "

Now even Hiei was interested. She had aged again. Peculiar.

"Oh," Edeth scoffed in a strangled voice, "Is that all?"

"...She's very grumpy and reclusive, but since you called her a hag, I'm sure that doesn't count."

**"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU ALL BEEN DOING?**" He yelled, his calm shattering. He raged on without an answer. "**I told Koenma NOT to send so soon after a rebirth, but noooooooooo, he had to get her out of Spirit world! Couldn't possibly let her RECOVER from being held captive and tortured! Nope! I'll KILL the runt!**" The changeling was now pacing, green energy flickering on and off as he grumbled in a different language. Though every once and a while a very crude insult would come out of his mouth.

Hiei remembered the night they had found Mia tied to the pole and how she had swore at Koenma for sending them. '_She still has emotions'. This must be a friend of hers. _He watched the man rave. Then remembered her short temper with stupidity. _Maybe._

The changeling growled, a deep animal like sound. Surprisingly, it wasn't very different from his normal husky voice. Without a second thought, he turned to Hiei, his eyes still ablaze with anger, yet, after a moment, the koorime realized it wasn't aimed at him. "You must be Hiei, Master of the Jagan Eye."

The koorime nodded.

"Kerr of Cathmor?"

The Thirian started visibly, "What did you just say?"

Edeth grinned. "I'm a spy. If I need information, I take it."

"In other words, you stole my temporary file."

"I wouldn't say **steal**."

"...I don't like you," Kerr stated bluntly, his eyes narrowing.

This only seemed to amuse their new teammate, because he gave a short laugh. "Not many do, I'm afraid. Mia would have killed me had she been allowed to. Took her fifty years to actually smirk without an **evil** undertone." He stood there thinking for a minute, then decided to add a bit of unneeded info. "Never, ever wish her to laugh. It's not worth the nightmares."

"And, exactly what does that mean, little Edeth?"

Said changeling stood with his back at the now standing Mia in all her shadowed glory. With a pale, blue tinted face and his features drawn taunt with a sudden fear, he slowly turned to look over his shoulder at the strange girl. "Gods have mercy," he muttered in a strangled voice. With an 'eep' he ran out of the cave as fast as he could.

Mia shook her head, and Hiei saw a glimmer of something under her hood. _Why do they fear her? She even admitted her reaction to Angelo's intrusion was a pre set trap, so why are these two so afraid when she hasn't done more than glare?_

The strange woman walked over to Kerr and placed a hand on his chest. Slowly his wounds seemed to disappear. "Excuse me," she said in a still raspy voice as she stood and walked after Edeth.

"Mia," called Kerr causing her to stood and turn to him slightly, but not look up. "Yes?"

"You shouldn't leave in your current state. I'm not stupid; I've noticed that you ha-"

"That is none of your concern. And consequently, I think your people would be appalled if they thought you sympathised with me." With that she walked out and pulled herself up onto the overhanging ledge.

There was silence in the cave save a few deep breathes from some of the wounded. The Atlantian stood and walked to his teammates and slowly healed them one by one. When he turned to Hiei however, the koorime just gave a soft growl.

"Don't bother. I'll heal by tomorrow."

"...whatever."

Hiei glanced around his fallen teammates. Satisfied with the fact they were all still out cold, he look back at Kerr. "What's with them?"

"No clue."

"Sadly, I don't buy that."

The Thirian stood and walked towards the opening after healing everyone. "Sorry, but I told you I have no clue about her personal life."

"...where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the answer to your question."

"You know they'll catch you right?"

"Probably."

"Then why risk it? You seem to respect her."

"I respect Mia like I respect any dangerous animal."

Hiei looked at him curiously. "You're a strange one."

"So I've been told."

A thought struck the koorime violently. An evil smile crept over his features. "Let me go."

"What are you playing at?" Kerr said with a peculiar stare.

"I'm excellent with blackmail." And with that, he was gone.

**-----------------------------------**

The fire demon was determined. There was something between these two and he wanted to know, if only to make this girl seem possible. No one can live without some sort of familiar.

Hiei climbed easily to the top where, much to his surprise, he found a cool plateau with spires of rock jutting skyward in assorted size. Oh yes, it would have been wonderful place to hold a battle it it wasn't around twenty degrees there.

For some reason though, it wasn't stopping Mia from beating the crap out of Edeth in a dagger fight any way. It seemed evenly balanced at first glance to the fire koorime; they both moved at the same speed and Edeth was dodging the young female's moves properly. But that illusion of a thought soon faded. Edeth was breathing hard and sweating heavily while Mia continued to move with a eerie grace that seemed to take no effort at all.

With a sudden swing, Mia switched how she was holding her blade and came back around and cut the changelings hands on the upper wrists causing him to drop his weapons. She swung her entire body into a side kick to his ribs forcing the man to drop to the ground on his back. Somehow she managed to arrange herself with him between her feet and brought the daggers down causing Edeth to close his eyes give a strangled cry. But then he blinked realizing that both blades had just missed his head. Suddenly, he began laughing. "You still have that horrible sense of humor, you hag."

"And your retorts are still pathetic. What's your point?" She moved off of him, cracking her neck.

"Tell me, is that one of your questions I can't come up with a good answer for you?"

"Not in that excuse for a brain, no."

He sat up with a sigh, shaking his head. "You never change."

"Hm," she pulled down her hood farther, that had managed to stay up, but had been pushed back enough to see her face.

Hiei took the hint, knowing that she had only done that sensing his stare, and stepped out from behind a rock he had used to hide himself. "How long did you know?"

"Since you came over the ledge."

Edeth's eyes went wide, "Who, what- He!...huh?" He ruffled his hair in frustration. "Ow, my head."

"Hiei's relationship with me is not a kind one. The fact that he would look for a weakness is only natural."

"Do not act like I'm easily read," the Forbidden Child growled. "I am not some pawn in your game."

"Of course not. You are far to strong for that. You all are." She walked over the edge without even bothering to hold on the the edge, and dropped to the edge that held the rest of her team.

Now, Edeth was another story all together. "...I'm confused."

"That doesn't shock me." Hiei growled, reluctantly following the girls lead leaving an amusingly baffled changeling.

**----------------------------**

"This is...a new member? Is that legal?" Yuskue said, staring at Edeth. They had all finished coming over the mountain and were now getting ready to eat.

"Um...yes and no," the newcomer said, scratching the back of the head.

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

"There aren't any rules about adding to your team as long as they were on the island when it started."

"Were you?"

"Yes."

"So where does the 'no' come in?"

"I'm not a registered participant."

"Ooooohhhhhh," he said with a nod.

"Yuskue," Kurama whispered in his ear, "You do realize that means he's not supposed to be here and we could get kicked out for smuggling him."

"Sure I knew-WAIT! **WHAT!**"

Mia pulled the large bird that Kerr hand caught (Everyone was so hungry they didn't bother to ask what it was) off the spit and started cutting it up. "Don't worry, despite his looks, Edeth is the best spy Other World has."

Said changeling gave a dazzling smile.

"Though he's not that good of a battle strategist."

And it faded. "Party pooper."

She shrugged and starting tossing people random pieces for them to eat. The group soon found that though the smell was faint the taste was very spicy. It was an interesting combination that confused the brain and made them very glad they had stopped for extra water.

Edeth gave a content smile. "Good stuff." He popped his last piece him his mouth with an obnoxious grin that just caused Kerr to stare openly at him in disgust.

Mia stood, not making any movement to remove the dirt from her body, though there was plenty of it. "We should move on to the oasis."

"Why would there be an oasis in the middle of a grassy field?" Kuwabara quiestioned as he swung his arms around for emphasis.

"Because tomorrow, we're going through a desert. The climate here is unbalanced due to the area and strange shape and oddly placed mountains. We should reach it by night fall."

"You act like we are afraid of the dark, onna." (A/n: Come on, you real didn't think he wasn't going to try to annoy her, did you?) "We're not children."

"Because a great deal of the creatures on this island thrive in the dark and despite all of Kerr's best efforts, we all still smell like blood."

Edeth stood, supposedly not at all full or gloated like the others. "Moving, moving, moving," he chanted under his breathe as he cleared the area.

Mia seemed to let out a small exasperated sigh. "Impossible," she muttered, but no one seemed to hear other that the koorime that was still glaring at her.

It didn't take long for them to clear out. They each only had a small back pack and a flask of water, so doing much more than cover the fire was not needed.

The group moved at a steady, fast walking pace so not to reopen some of he wounds still remaining. Slowly the new member began to hum a song. It had a slow, yet upbeat sound that made the walking less and less strenuous. It seemed to change it's tune more and more as it went by though, still keeping it's calming effect, yet becoming more haunting. When he reached the last note, Edeth paused for a moment taking a slow deep breath and looked at Mia. She simply stared forward from under her hood. He seemed slightly put out by this, but started to sing anyway. Strangely, his rough voice wasn't at all grating and seemed to fit the tune nicely. But the words were strange and cryptic.

"A friend is a friend

Until the end.

Some people refuse this.

Pain causing their brains to miss

That the reality of friendship

Is a dedicated hardship."

Even Hiei was glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Even though he had just heard the tune, it somehow seemed...heart aching still, yet in a comforting way. He couldn't place his finger on it.

"We ignore the call.

We won't allow others cause us to fall.

Oh, no. We are too proud

To allow such feelings to be shone aloud.

So we curl up tight,

Ignoring the battle we have to fight.

No one can exist without one.

A friend is an anchor second best to none.

We don't want to have our emotions free,

We want to live alone and empty.

So we can die in peace.

But we should think of death least.

Shove it away.

Push it away.

You allowed it to enter,

Only now do you falter.

You see the obligations.

And you know it throws away all precautions.

So why not just forget?

No reason for you to admit.

The pain will just heal.

The wounds of betrayal will seal.

Friendship is so easy.

Nothing that simple is steady.

If you think I'll buy this, you fool,

Then just go hide in your numbing pool.

I won't stand your denial of warmth.

I can't stand your refusal of hearth.

Life shifts beneath your feet even now.

You need a commitment, or expect to bend the knee and bow.

The world will fall.

It will destroy all.

Nothing but God is everlasting.

Better take mortal love, even flawing.

But remember, even a strong one will move.

Cause you to once again to lose.

But it'll be there when you need it.

When everything hurts more than a bit.

A true friend's wound will mean nothing.

In the cold, they are your clothing.

You deny them the right

To be mortal and bite.

Take them back.

Something alone is nothing but black.

And the shadows can never last in the light.

They can't seem to gain enough spite.

The Truth made the Lie in it's absence.

You won't survive alone in it's presence.

A friend is a friend

Until the end.

Some people refuse this.

Pain causing their minds to miss

The reality of friendship

Is a dedicated hardship."

And then he stopped and spoke quietly to the girl, "Mia, why didn't you-"

"We're here," she muttered, not even bothering to look at the changeling that had stopped to stare at her with a hurt expression.

Kurama gave him a worried glance. "Edeth?" For some reason he now trusted this creature. He was open and easy to read, just like a child's book. "Is something...wrong between you two?"

"I didn't think so but...she's," he cocked his head to one side. "Avoiding something. And I don't think asking her 'Why didn't you sing along with me?' was it."

"She...sings?" Kerr blinked as though the idea was a sign of the apocalypse.

"Oh, yes. In fact, only song I ever heard her even bother with."

"What's it called?" Kurama asked, ignoring the flabbergasted look on Kerr's features.

"Don't know, I don't think she bothered to give it a name." With that he ran to catch up to Mia and help her set up camp, leaving the other five to stare at his back in awe.

**-------------------------------------------**

A/N: I have...reviews? Me? Excuse me for a moment while I go do my happy dance in private.

THANK YOU!

Tsume-Hiei lover: So...bit different ain't he?

Kitsune katana: Thank you. I'm doing my best.


	7. Heritage Beginnig

_**Chapter 7**_

**---------------**

_Anguish given, pain filled, blood splatered. Everywhere. Need to escape. Why? Why hate? What's missing? Red. Black. Never clear. Tears. Why bleed? Why live?_

_Why do you hate me?_

Hiei started violently, shaking awake from his dream. The sand and scattered plant life beneath him had grown cold, despite his high body temperature. The hair on his arms was standing on end, yet he knew the chilly air was not the cause. With a stiff movement he looked around the area.

And there was Myth, long lilac hair swaying slightly as she stared at Kerr. The Atlantian stared back with wide eyes and blanched features as his body shook badly at even his slightest attempt to move. "N-no...you...you can't...no!" He shook his head roughly from side to side.

"Poor youngling," she murmured. Again her voice sent chills down Hiei's spine. Though why, he couldn't figure out. It wasn't unpleasant to the ears, nor evil. Quite the opposite. Still, he drew his blade from next to him.

The mysterious women turned to him at the strange metalic sound, her mildly elongated ears moving at the noise. She shiftered her head ever so slightly to one side. "Are you going to try to fight me, little koorime?" Her eyes froze him in place. The strange red eyes that he had mistaken for ones like his shone oddly in the light. Instead of the heartless black that edged his irises, this women had streaks of reflective sliver, causing them to flicker and shift like a cold flame. Her outfit consisted of layers of complex robes of pure white save the edges of her dragging hem and belled sleeves for they were stained red and embroidered in delicate silver detail. The scent she gave off was too weak to pick up. As he took in her strange sweeping features, Hiei found himself unable to move his blade.

Graciously, his mouth was another thing all together. "Leave before I remove that dainty head."

She laughed a gentle, unmocking laugh that sounded more like the wind than a voice. "Then please, do. I have found it very troublesome at times."

The rage coursing through his veins seemed to break whatever spell held him. With a graceful movement, he stood, his blade clutched in a white knuckled hand. "I don't normally take commands, but I think I'll make an exception for the woman who plots agianst me."

Her eyes narrowed only a bit, making it hard for the demon to be sure he didn't just imagine it. Myth raised a hand above her head gathering her light like energy there.

Hiei braced himself, waiting to dodge and strike.

Suddenly she stopped, wheeling to see Mia standing behind her. The girl's black/brown eyes danced just as much, if not more in the fire light than Myth's despite the strands of now chin length bangs hiding them. The tall women stared at her as though trying to read her very soul. Mia only returned the gaze, unblinking.

Hiei felt a presence behind him and shifted his head so he could look out of the corner of his eye. Standing next to him was Youko, his eyes glaring fiercely at Myth's back. A wave of unsummoned relief fell over the koorime with the realisation that his friend would stand loyally next to him.

Mia growled something under her breath about time. Myth appeared to be offened, though it was hard to tell with her porclin freatures.

Kurama flicked his crystal rose into a whip. Once again the elegant creature seemed to react to the sound. She turned so Mia flanked one side and Hiei and Kurama the other.

"What is your game?" Hiei found himself hissing once more. "Why do you threaten me?"

"I am the challenger of the soul. Only in true emotion can one's mind be read. Hate is simply easier to draw out in a pure form."

"There is more than that. You fear me because of my blood."

"...I fear you because **I** know what your blood can force you to do."

"Nothing can **force **me."

"I beg to differ."

"Enough," Mia's harsh voice cut through. "It is not your time. Not yet. The memories have yet to flow. It will shatter if much more force is placed."

This time there was no mistaking the woman's irritance. "Very well. My patience grows thin. You know this well."

"I would be slow to not."

Myth smiled at Hiei out of no where. A small, beautiful smile, that the koorime found a thousand times more frightening than any other action she had taken against him. Perhaps it was because it was so sudden. But the likelyhood of it was he could see the malice dripping from every curve of her lips.

"Perhaps another time we will discus your past. When the memories run fresh." And just as before, she slipped away in a mist.

Mia relaxed visably. But Kerr was still stiff, his spear had somehow been reformed once more to fit his large hands. "Mia, what business do you have with that **chaos bringer?"**

She dropped her head, as though ashamed, yet only Hiei, once more, seemed to see the ironic smile curling on her shadow hid face, so similar to Myth's own.

"Answer Me!"

She turned and walked away, heading for the desert.

"Damn it, Mia! Don't you want to be trusted? To not have to worry about your own companions striking you down?"

The girl stopped, but said nothing.

"Kerr," Kurama spoke softly, the green starting to seep back into his eyes.

"No! We've all delt with her solitude enough. Despite everything I've been taught, I have fully allowed this **child** to lead me into a wilderness so I know I could never get out! Now, I am starting to think it was a mistake!"

Edeth, now awake, growled in warning, but the Atlantian continued.

"I am tired of the ploys, and the attempts to make her human in my eyes. She is nothing more than a heartless beast!"

That got her atention. "Very well. I'll tell you something only two living people know." She turned, striding up to him with long purposful steps.

"Mia...don't be reckless," Edeth warned, his eyes pleading.

She looked full into Kerr's face causing him to jumped back slightly. The eyes staring back it him were slitted and irises all black except for a thin, barely visable dark brown ring between them and the pupils.

"You flinch away. Just as you did when your brother asked you to come in his stead."

The group around them were now fully awake, even the heavy sleeper, Yuskue.

"H-how?"

"How? It's in your eyes. Just because you do not see mine, doesn't mean I don't see yours."

"Stop that!" he spoke in a fear that seemed unrational to all save the changling that was staring at the two with sad, knowing eyes.

"Do you have a problem looking at me?" She pulled down her hood and once again Hiei's eyes were drawn to the asortment of shining scars on the back of her thin neck. "Did your brother even have the guts to tell you why he agreed to the request I carried for King Enma? Why he dared to let me into your city that I shouldn't have been able to find to begin with?"

Kerr had stopped moving now, but his body was still rigged as he stared down his long nose at Mia. Sweat dripped off his face landing on cold sand that greedily swallowed it up.

"Then again, how could he? How could he reject his own niece?"

"Stop," he choked.

"**Stop?**" her voice was dangerously low. "Oh no, dear **uncle**, I will not stop. You wanted something to dangle over my head. You were not content with the blackmail of my previous life, you wanted something fresh, you greedy fool. So I will give you what you wish."

Kerr shook, though Hiei doubted fear alone could cause such tremors in a full fledged warrior.

"I was born of a Thirian and a demon. A ungrounded match on it's own, supposedly unable to produce offspring. But with a little godly intervention I was able to have a body without pushing out a soul. Hell knows, they wouldn't allow me to form my own."

All ears were on her now. So that was part of her story. It explained why they couldn't sense her energy -because she didn't have any. Her body wasn't supposed to exsist. Her shiftings may come from her demon parent, a type of demon that when they became a certain age, they hit a growth spurt. But why couldn't they sense it before?

"But why was a Thirian not in the protection of a Lost City? Because she herself was pushed out of her home. And not because she took a demon for a mate, oh no, no one knew of it that time. It was because of the fear her eyes struck in the heart of an onlooker. Even her own family rejected her in fear. Fear of the reflection of themselves."

Mia grabbed his collar, yanking his seven foot frame down to her now five foot six inch height and glared mercilessly into his eyes. "Of **Shamer **eyes. So they shunned her. Allowing only the outskirts of the towns to be her domain. What a sad fate for one of the house of Cathmor."

The Thirian choked, but she continued, each word seemingly piercing him farther. "And to think, I wouldn't be here would you have stuck up for your kind **sister**. She would have never went searching for someone who could look her in the eye as my father did if only her own **friends and family** would have stood up for her. But you couldn't, not against an entire race."

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

"I wouldn't be here, haunting your very soul, making you see your own inner demons, if you only had a spine then. You say I am the monster, Kerr, but my coldness, my lack of desire for trust is **nothing** compared to what you did to her. To your own **kin."** She released his collar and allowed him to drop to the ground, staring at the earth, pupils dialated to the max and shedding soundless tears. "At least I do not tear at the ones who trust me, for there are none other than the changling over there. And it cost him much to make me accept that gift."

She stared down at the Thirian, her normally hollow eyes filled with dislike. With one last disgusted grunt, she pulled up her hood and went back to gaze at the moon basked sand.

No one dare ask her why.

**------------------------**

They were moving again. The group's speed was questionable, but since none of them had managed sleep after Mia's rage -save Hiei, but a moment does nothing for a body's fatigue other than make it feel cheated- it was no surprise. Kerr had naturally ailed the worse. Dark blotches covered under his eyes; the Atlantian slouched, never staring ahead, always looking at the ground his feet claimed; his eyes were haunted, lost even; he talked not at all, and his normal confident air had been blown away in the night, leaving nothing more than a husk. Kerr's gloomy actions seemed to seep their feelings into the bones of his teammates until even the blazing desert sun could not warm their souls.

But, Mia, the strange girl who spoke only of pain and facts, said nothing even when Edeth asked her to answer. She simply treaded earth as though they weren't there, as though **she** was the one who had been berated the previous night.

It was slow work and they only drank the gathered water at sertain time and even then, they could not drink more than a little. Mia had given them all a bits of salt, but other than that she did nothing. Not even get water for herself.

Slowly though, Edeth became more and more alert to the point of being jumpy. Eventually he ran to Mia's right side and stayed there, glancing around nervously.

Hiei didn't mind any of it, but the heat was making him drowsy rather than uncomfortable and that was a dangerous thing to be attacked in, but he couldn't quite shake it. Even worse, echoes of the nightmare from the night before seemed to follow him and despite the koorime's best attempts to push the words from his mind. They continued to stick, like a never ending chant. Yet the single, confusing words were not the cause of his growing insanity, it was the full sentences. _Anguish given, pain filled, blood splatered. Why bleed? Why live? Why do you hate me?_

It tore Hiei up, made him want to stop and scream to make the words that only echoed in his head stop. _What is this! I should have complete control, why does it haunt me? _He shook his head violently from side to side. _Enough, I'm being irrational._

He looked around the group. Yuskue and Kuwabara looked ready to collapse and Kurama in his human form was probably just better at hiding it. Kerr was the same as the start and Edeth seemed more and more edgy every second. Mia, once agian, was unreadable and untouchable as she some how managed to live under that heavy cloak. And him, he was becoming dilusional in his own mind.

The changling suddenly gave out a loud, content sigh. "Finally," he muttered with a voice that was even more drie than normal. "I hate being exposed like that."

"Can't imagine why," croaked Yuskue. "So we're finally coming to the edge of this place. About time." He checked his watch. No one knew why he brought it. Perhaps the chance to complain. "We've been going nine hours through this place."

"Yeah, and we went the short way," replied Edeth.

"How would you know?"

"Do you honestly think it's easy to find a group that doesn't want to be found?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Why did you bring that thing?" He pointed his chin at the watch at the detective's wrist.

"So I can tell the time," he replied in a voice you often take with toodlers.

"I can tell the time perfectly without one."

"Yeah," he scoffed, "So what time is it?"

Edeth gave a wicked smile and raised his arm as though there **was** a watch there. "It's...a hair past a freckle!"

Yuskue nearly fell over, "That's NOT A **Time**!"

"It is to me," he snickered, suddenly breaking out in fits of laughter.

Something shook beneath him and Edeth stopped his laughter suddenly and Yuskue let go of of the changling's collar he had seized in anger. "Uh-oh," they muttered at the same time.

Kerr broke out of his stupor and grabbed the pole at his waist, changing it to a spear.

Slowly rising from the ground came creatures, sand sliding off their humaniod bodies, shifting through their folds of clothing, and covering their cold gray eyes and unnatural hair colors.

"Ambush!" shouted Edeth, stating the now obvious as more and more of the creatures slipped out from the sand and began moving their way towards the team.

"Changlings," Kerr growled, though whether he was talking about friend or foe was hard to distinguish.

**-----------------------------**


	8. Relations with King Enma

_thought, flashback, or dream _

**emphasized word**

/telepathy/

"speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters.

Bleed out all empathy this vessel has

No spirit left to hold on to lies I've lived in full

How long can I hold tight with every movement

Tension binds and denies my true nature

The Balance has shifted warped sick and twisted

Grabbing at angels when I fall

'Cause I am more than this idol endless recital

For all my demons to applaud

I am free

Hide myself from it all while every fear is

Screaming night into dawn until I find

I have to believe them (lies)

In order to attain fulfillment

I have to succumb to (lies)

All my inner fears that tear at me

I will never believe them (lies)

I'm sick of the weakness that controls me

Now that I've fallen I will not repent

-High Wire Escape Artist by Boy Sets Fire-

_**Chapter 8**_

**----------------**

The changelings had them surrounded. Edeth looked from side to side, panicked. He caught Mia's odd look. "No, I'm not **that** rusty!" She just nodded. Looking irritated, Edeth added, "You have to cut of the heads or destroy them."

By the time the enemy had completely risen out of the sand, the group was set. Yuskue only had to wait a moment for the mist around Kurama to fade and reveal his fox form before firing his Rei Gun.

It all went downhill from there. The changelings were not dampened by the fact that they had to step over the lolling decapitated head of their comrades. They kept coming strong, more popping out of the sand at each death. Kuwabara couldn't move fast enough to keep up, and even Yuskue and Kerr needed a little assistance every once in a while when they nearly became dog-piled. They refused to let the group separate far enough to launch strong enough attacks without risking a fatality in their own ranks and moved to quickly for them to duck either. It was quickly becoming ridiculous. Mia, forbidden to kill, made due with jumping on their heads to distract them and periodically ramming a metal bar into the face, torso, and... other places.

"They have to **end at some point**!" Kerr exclaimed loud enough for the changeling that **wasn't** trying to kill him overheard.

"Keep saying that to yourself, Kerr," muttered Edeth. With a ruthless movement, he struck forward, tearing the head off the changeling that had been moving forward toward Mia. "Stay behind me."

Surprisingly, she did as he said and stepped behind him. "I can't give off a charge strong enough yet."

"After several days! Mia, damn it, what have you been doing?"

"Living," she stated dryly.

"I didn't know that took so much time."

"Then live a little more."

Mia watched from behind Edeth, occasionally hitting one upside the head for good measure when they tried to sneak up behind them. Her face grew grave as time went on. Without warning, she jumped in front Edeth and swung her staff like a baseball bat knocking the creatures around her back a bit farther than what should be possible.

She turned to Edeth and handed the spy a new set of daggers. The hilts were delicately detailed steel wrapped in tattered, yet clean white cloth and the blades seemed to be made of the same material with sphere shaped gems embedded into it haphazardly yet sparingly save only the sharp edges.

Edeth stared at her stunned. A weapon like this was worth its weight in gold and reflected light from the gems, instead of making it look gaudy, appeared to give them an aura of their own.

"I can't rely on spelled weapons, Mia."

"You'll eventually absorb their powers the more you use them," she stated impatiently.

Mia handed him two gems. "The gold is for Kuwabara and the light blue is for Yuskue," she spoke quickly before swinging once more. "Hurry, give them to their proper owners."

Edeth sank into the ground and reappeared behind Yuskue and Kuwabara fighting side by side. "Give off a stunning shot gun, Yuskue, no one's in front of you." After registering Edeth's voice, he did as asked and turned his head.

"What do you want? I'm kinda busy here," the detective growled. Without a word, his companion dropped the marble into his blood stained hand. It glimmered and shifted into a mean looking black gauntlet with a blue runes **burnt** into the leather. Yuskue only hesitated for a moment before putting it on. Immediately his energy seemed more concentrated, less wild. Not necessarily more powerful, just easier to handle. Energy sparked over him to match his mischievous grin as he went back to work.

Kuwabara's gem changed in the same manner but what appeared was a giant two handed hilt. Yet it wasn't uncomfortably heavy despite being made completely out of a tarnished gold color except for the guard, which was solid black crystal. He swung it once experimentally and his energy poured into it easily to form a clean blade. "Nice," he grunted, joining his best friend.

Mia watched, a content look coming over her face. She pulled out another set of gems as she ran. She stopped and handed a dark blue one to Kerr that changed into a evil looking spear with a black handle and a steel colored blade with a blue/black gem encrusted into it, surrounded by swirling designs. With further examination, the Thirian found it could be pulled apart into a set of spears that could be easily handled by his large hands.

The youth's next stop was Hiei, which took a while. Out what appeared to be sheer luck, she predicted his next move and cleared the spot. The koorime landed there a moment later. "Hn."

She tossed him a black sphere with pearly white swirls under the surface. Just when he had registered how it looked, it morphed in his left hand into a black metal hilt, bandaged where his hand would rest and a awkwardly cut, clear gem at the base. He glared at her.

"Do you honestly," he paused cutting down a few changelings and knocking back a few more to turn to see her following his second example. He continued without her looking at him. "Think I'll lower myself to the level of that baka?"

"Do you honestly think I'd be stupid enough to think that?"

"Th-" a glimmer in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Without thinking he swung the hilt in his hand at it. Off flew a changeling's head with little resistence. Hiei stared at the blood dripping off an invisible blade. He shifted the hilt slightly to reveal it wasn't invisible, but made of an impossibly clear crystal. When he looked up, she had created a temporary barrier around them that couldn't be seen out of and probably not into either.

She walked up to him quickly, pulling a rope necklace with three gems embedded into it out of her cloak and off her neck. "Here." She held it out to him.

"Hell no."

Before Hiei could react, it was snug around his neck, satisfaction shining dully in Mia's eyes. "Get this off," he growled, pulling on it. It didn't budge. Instead it grew tighter.

"Just leave it be and no one will see it. It'll enhance your Jagan eye."

He let it slip from his fingers and it slacked under his shirt. He could no longer even feel the coarse rope against him.

Suddenly she was before him. "Tell no one you have it. Keep it under your shirt so no one may see it. Never, **never**, run energy through it."

"Why not?" he growled.

"Changelings like it a lot." The shield dropped and the rest of the team was thrown in about them.

"We're gonna die," Edeth moaned as he gazed over the hopeless situation around him.

"That's not very helpful," Kuwabara muttered, cutting another head off.

"Positive thoughts, Edeth," Kurama stated, a bit stiffer that what he had probably planed.

"Okay," He said in a panicked voice, pulling a dagger out of yet another throat. "We're gonna die painless deaths." He paused slicing again.

"That's not encouraging, changeling," muttered Hiei, having as much difficulty as the rest.

"Except for maybe Mia, who they seem to want to let their leader torture."

"Thanks," she muttered.

And so it continued. Tighter and tighter the group was pulled together until back was touching back. Even the weapons Mia had given them, though strong enough to easily repel a few changelings, the endless hordes of them were proving to be boundless and relentless despite how many were struck down.

A gasp of pain caught the ears of our team. Edeth dropped his daggers and took a step back.

"This is enough," muttered Mia. "Edeth, drop."

Said changeling sank through the sand after a moments hesitation revealing a P.O.'ed youth. She had her head bowed. Two daggers slipped out of her sleeves, one gliding into each hand.

A changeling pushed in front of the rest, the one who had not recklessly rushed forward, and sneered at the girl. "Foolish child."

Mia turned sideways, holding one long dagger just above the back of her head and the other delicately in front of her.

The male before her laughed. "Don't be stupid, I know that you've been forbidden to kill." He continued his gales as the world around him grew dark.

"Forbidden doesn't mean unable." Her position sunk lower and the man before her slowly stopped. The Changelings stood around them, heeling and pulling back. They all stared at her.

"You're too weak to play chicken, I'll plow you over head on."

"I'm not fond of cheating, but shit has never held my respect much."

The changelings cold gray eyes grew dark in anger. " 'She doesn't spill blood, and she doesn't cuss.' It appears my sources were wrong."

"Well, now that I know your sources are from inside the Spirit World, I'll have to continue." She shifted back into a position with her blades hidden in her huge cloak.

"You have no honor, sinking to change who you are just for information! I expected the 'Traitor' over there to be as st-" he gave a gurgling sigh before Mia pulled the stacked blades in his neck in opposite directions, causing he head to loll on the ground from side to side.

"If any of you have the courage to leave, I suggest when you go to your master, you tell him not to let a loose mouthed lower class leader against me."

She looked up at the people around her. The faces of her teammates were the most surprised to see her blood splattered features. A smirk so sickening and blood thirsty it curdled blood fell upon her features when Edeth rose from the sand behind her. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around them, a matching curl of the lips playing across his face. "Nice to have you back." She simply nodded in reply.

The changelings took a step back and a new found energy filled the out numbered group. Hope.

"They appear to be waiting for the rest of your speech, my Lady," Edeth stated in a sadistic voice.

"Your people talk enough for me to go mute." With that she struck forward again.

The battle was short from there. The changelings that didn't run were quickly cut down by the opposing team that was lost without a leader. It was bloody to say the least, but when the flesh of the creatures turned into dust and the bones began to decay, the blood lost it's scent, so once they found a river, they could easily wash it off and clean out the smaller wounds Kerr ran out of energy to heal without worry.

"Mia...are you alright?" Edeth's face darkened and the group turned to her.

She stood there, breathing slow, deep breaths through her mouth. Her hood hid the upper part of her face, but flecked blood could be seen along her jawbone. Mia was hunched over as though injured, yet no one had seem a hit land upon her, and her cloak was whole. The strange creature remained silent for a while. "I'm...fine physically Edeth. It's just..." Mia raised her hand in front of her face. It was covered in wet blood, flowing in a constant stream from one of the the two tarnished blades so thickly that it was staining her black sleeve. "...been a while."

"Em...Em, please. **Don't** regret this."

"**Don't** be a fool." She slipped her bloody hands back under her cloak. "I might **turn** on you if you don't berate me for this, you know."

"Mia, he...King Enma will..."

"Not care," she whispered, causing all but Edeth to strain to hear her voice. "He's too stubborn to admit this."

"But...you were placed for a reason! There has to be something you can-"

"-Not everyone understands why I'm here, Edeth. Most people don't even want to... include me." Mia stood straight, pulling her hood down farther. "The quicker I'm out of this job, the better."

Yuskue's communicator vibrated. Before coming to the island, he had been warned that no signal was to be made on his end and they could only risk to contact him in emergencies. His heart raced for a minute, mind over flowing with disturbing possibilities. He pulled it out.

Red writing on the front cover appeared as soon as he looked at it. **_Throw me on the ground._** The detective stared at it, surprised. "It talks." **_Yes, I 'talk.' Now, Throw Me On The Ground!_** Yuskue didn't have to be told again, he had dropped it out of sheer shock. _You would think I would be used to stuff like this by now, _ he thought bitterly to himself.

The thing clicked open and a weak flash of light, just strong enough to make the group blink, came out. "**_Forgotten Soul Pattern confirmed. Sending hologram through,"_** it beeped at them. An image of King Enma slowly formed above the make-up container shaped device.

The strange youth walked up to the floating form, nearly as big as the true Lord of the Dead himself. Mia looked into the eyes of King Enma's hologram. "Yes?"

"Insolent brat! You dare to go against my orders and kill and then have the nerve to look me in the eye even with that speckled face! **Drop your gaze.** Good girl."

Hiei saw her clench her jaw as she obeyed, though no one else had. Perhaps he had been watching her closely for so long, even the slightest movement he could read. Or perhaps they were just to enthralled with the God of the Dead to care.

"You know I can not allow this, **Mia**. I've told you time and time again to put **reigns **on that** blood lust." **Edeth looked like he was going to vouch for the young woman, but clasped his throat instead, gasping for air.

"Now allow the bands to touch your skin. **NOW!"** he bellowed when she made no movement. Slowly, Mia slid her hands out from underneath her cloak and rolled up the bloody robe sleeves to reveal two thin golden colored bracelets. Tucked underneath them each was a strip of cloth. Reluctantly, she pulled them out allowing the metal to brush her skin. The sickening smell of burning flesh quickly overpowered the scent of blood.

"Now step forward." After a moments hesitation, Mia stepped towards the illusion, hands twitching slightly from irritation. 'King Enma' placed a hand on the girl's forehead. A shadow aura fell over her and white electricity flickered over her frame. She stood there, the smell increasing, for several minutes. Without warning, one of her legs gave out and a slight groan emitted from her lips. The first verbal sign of pain she had ever made before them.

"Now, will you heed my law?"

She made no movement.

"Reply, wench, before I reveal more."

Mia forced a nod from her kneeling position.

"Verbally," he sneered acidly.

"Yes," she whispered.

"What?"

"Yes."

" 'Yes' what?" he smirked.

"Yes, **my Lord,**" she spat out the last two words like venom.

The Immortal smiled viciously down at her despite her tone and then disappeared leaving the echoes of his voice. "Pride comes before the fall, Forgotten."

Edeth, as though suddenly released from a spell, stumbled forward instantly to help her. "Idiot," he whispered, "You shouldn't have stopped me."

Mia skidded away from his touch, muttering something, and headed for the field slowly placing the clothe back under her bracelets. The group soon followed.

"So, it's true; what they say on the demon plains." Hiei spoke, the malice in his voice elevating at every word. " 'King Enma has a new bitch.' "

Edeth turned to look at him, horrified. "Hiei, NO!" His warning came to late.

Mia had him on the rough ground quicker than what the koorime had though possible from her. Her hands, despite the blackened and decayed wrists, gripped strongly around his throat. Hiei reached for his sword, but his arms were pinned by her legs. He tried to gather energy, but she seemed to be sucking the his very life through her hands. Bruises began to form on the fire demons throat; air came short in his lungs; the screams and attacks of his teammates began to fall on deaf ears; his limbs became heavy and couldn't seem to fight back properly.

The black that had seeped into his sight had almost completely consumed him when a burst of fresh air entered his lungs. The weight was removed from his chest. Someone, or **someones**, pulled him up straight. Slowly, the world around him came back into focus. Standing across from him was Mia, being held back by Kerr and Edeth, screaming at him.

"**How DARE you claim me to be his SLUT! To say that I would WILLFULLY subject my self under such a abomination of a creature! To SHAME myself to that level! HOW DARE YOU!**"

Instantly it hit him, why he had been so irked by this woman, so eager to find a flaw. It was because up until now she wasn't natural. Her actions were to precisely calculated, to perfect. Mia's emotions were boundless yet hollow. She had been unreachable.

But, now, looking at the female across from him, face twisted in hatred, he greatly wished for the collected creature that had stood up to Kerr not a day ago. Now she was mortal, like him, but also, that meant she could change and scheme. She could kill him despite her orders. She could traitor them.

Though he had no fear of her in a one on one fight, the prospect of her hands on his neck again from no more than a comment was not a risk his mind had registered before.

There was a loud crack through the air and Edeth and Kerr dropped Mia into the mixture of sand and weeds. A perfect imprint of the back of the Thirian's hand was beginning to swell below her eye. The changeling began to yell at Kerr, berating him for striking her.

Hiei heard none of it really though. He was too busy trying to form his words as he walked to the woman before him. /It appears we are both marked my multiple hands now/ he spoke softly, yet harshly in her head.

Mia stared at the sand, saying nothing through her lips nor the mind link.

/I can smell your blood now, onna. Did the child's father do that to you/

/.../ Nothing.

/I saw none of them cut you and your wrists are only-/

/-Stop./

/Stop what/

/Mocking me./

The group around them had grown quiet, staring, even though the conversation could not reach their ears. Hiei toyed with the idea of letting it, but decided against it almost instantly. It was **not** his goal to mock her after all.

/This can not continue./

/You seem to enjoy it./

/Perhaps./

Once again, Mia's mind fell silent. The fire koorime grabbed her chin, bending his knees slightly in the process, and forced his gaze into hers. Part of him wanted to kill her then even more than before, but another stopped him for some reason. The curiosity was now gone replaced with an empty grave. She was mortal completely, for a deep hate seared his soul through her eyes. But the more he stared, the more he understood.

The hate was not aimed at him, but at King Enma. Though there was anger and dislike at him, it was not as great as he had first thought. Other emotions played in the dark depths that he couldn't see from a distance. Pain. Resentment. And, ever so slightly, hope. The greatest realization came with the physical struggle; her pupils were fighting to remain normal. To reflect, to block his conclusions.

She was allowing him to look.

/Let it mirror, onna/ his voice was softer that what he had planned.

/No/ her voice was weak, as though letting him enter had drained her. Yet somehow she remained defiant.

/Why/

/Because./

Needless to say, the childless answer surprised him. /You allowed the Thirian-/

/-I do not respect the descendant of Cathmor./

It was no more than a whisper, yet the sting was far greater than that of the bruises on his throat. Hiei stared at her coolly, allowing his hand to steadily drop. Despite his calm gaze, the wheels were beginning to shift in his mind. Perhaps not toward respect, but tolerance. A great deal of it.

She shifted under his gaze, uncomfortable to say the least. Betrayed by the way her muscles grew tighter and tighter. Finally, unable to bare his calculating gaze, she stood, only to have her knees buckle weakly.

Before everyone knew what was happening, Hiei grabbed her upper arm roughly, steadying her till he was certain she could stand. Mia stared at him, her eyes level with his as though she had shrunk, questions that only he could read written on her features.

/You didn't answer my question on your wounds./ His mind began to sort through the new information. _How can I read her now? Her face shows no more than what it did before._ "Lead the way," he growled aloud.

Her eyes narrowed at him, though it was only the same game he played with the people around them. She slowly began to make her way, the grass getting higher with each step. It was a while before she replied through the link he kept open. /It is not important./ The hollowness was slowly seeping back into her actions and mind.

/I am beginning to wonder it you would think a missing limb was 'not important.'/

/ 'Perhaps.'/ she replied, completely mocking him for the first time.

Hiei allowed himself a smirk, only confusing the muttering group about him further. What was becoming a regular occurrence, only Hiei picked up her subtle, questioning look at him. /Let them wonder. A little thought can't hurt them./

/I beg to differ./

Something in his mind whispered to him, but he ignored it. One coincidence was not enough to snap at her, not when she was allowing him to enter her mind and briefly scan it. _What if it's just another trick!_ his mind screamed. He pushed it into a pocket up his soul's sleeve where it could not be heard, but was there when needed pulling out or adding to. But, after all, a sleeve could only hold so much without the seem tearing. /How so/ he replied, making sure not to give his thoughts away.

/Kuwabara does not seem the kind to think to hard with out having a melt down./

/**Perhaps**./

Her lips curled up slightly, even when he shut the link between them. Despite everything that had just happened, he knew she was mortal now. Able to fall, able to change, able to feel. _ And maybe, able to be respected. _He shook his head. But in the next few minutes of thought, he found himself placing it in the other other sleeve. The one that he could use **for** her.

**---------------------**

"We travel through the night today," Mia stated plainly, much to the dislike of her companions who would have much preferred to stop and wash themselves, but figured she had a good reason. The earth beneath them steadily became vegetated until none of the sand remained. The terrain became rougher, and they soon figured that they had to watch their footing when Mia -much to the shock of all- nearly fell over a lump in the ground and a loud 'CRACK' rang through the group's ears as she broke a large reed.

Mia fell again about fifteen minutes later and would have hit the ground hard if Edeth hadn't caught her and helped her straight. She was quickly back on her feet again and sprinting with the rest, undeterred.

Kurama saw Edeth clench and unclench his hands nervously. "What is it," the koorime questioned suspiciously, quietly.

"Nothing," he answered quickly too quickly as he glanced at his hand.

The fox demon reached out suddenly and grabbed his wrist, still moving as he stared at his palm. It was covered in blood that smelled familiar. "What is this from?"

"Nothing," he said again, pulling away.

"It came off of Mia's robes didn't it?"

He looked at him questioningly, his face unable to choose an emotion.

"I smelled it on her earlier," Youko replied simply.

"...I fear King Enma over did it. He is known for his... over done punishments. He loathes Mia on top of that, so any mistake she makes is exaggerated as you saw." He spit on the ground. "All she did was fight for my sake any way."

He chose not to comment on the changelings last comment. "Why would he put her in a position of power if he doesn't trust her."

" 'Keep your friends close.' "

" 'Keep your enemies closer,' " the fox nodded. "But, why not his secretary or someone of low status."

"And give Mia all those opportunities to poison him? He hates her with a passion, but not to the point of stupidity. He's been doing this to long to the people he dislikes to make that mistake. Besides, the higher up she is the easier it is for him to punish her severely without question. You can't do stuff like that to a secretary unless they're a spy or something."

"But why hate her?"

"Her soul is too close to being immortal. She, at full power, could easily pose a threat."

"She can get that strong?"

"Why do you think they didn't let her form her own body? This one can't do everything her old one could and it can't channel nearly as much energy."

"How do you know all this?"

"Not only have I known her for over a century, I helped her gain that body. I was the one that presented the possibility to her."

"That's -" Mia fell for a third time, just barely catching her body with her hands, but her legs had become completely tangled.

The changeling walked up her her and gently pulled her up by the upper arm. He was glad the group was too tired to comment on his actions. Guiding her swiftly before she could protest, he swung her small frame piggy back on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding them there. "Don't complain," Edeth grumbled, quieting her retort as they continued to run. "Just tell me where to go and I'll lead them. I have a better sense of direction than even you."

"I doubt that," she muttered, but did as he asked any ways. As time passed, she began to visibly relax on him becoming more and more distant and no longer flinched at the sound of crunching grass.

"Edeth," she said drowsily.

"Yeah?"

"You're being over protective again."

"Really?" A smile carved his features.

"...Edeth?"

"Yes?"

"You're a ninny."

The changeling nearly fell into the knee high foliage from her odd choice of words. "You're tired, get some sleep."

There was silence for a few more minutes. "And Edeth?" Her voice was little more than a whisper in his ear now.

"What?"

"I missed your company."

He stopped, staring up at the female on his shoulders, but she was obviously out cold.

-End Chapter 10-

Please R&R


	9. Strange Dreams, Odd Choices

_**Chapter 9**_

**--------------------**

_Hiei watched them; Myth wearing red robes, a woman with blue eyes and white vapor like hair covered white clothing, and another with steely gray eyes and light ashen locks concealed under black atire stood in a circle. Each of them strangely beautiful. Mysterious. Wise. Powerful. Each of them a strange reflection of what the others were missing or hid. He knew them all some how, as though he hated and trusted each of them at one point._

_But they could never be together. It seemed to spell 'chaos' all over it. How he knew this, he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was a side effect of the dream._

_The white room around them seemed to go on forever and had no deffinition between floor and ceiling. They formed a triangle, each letting their finger tips barely miss the ones next to them. Red, white and black auras clashed. The nonexsistant floor beneath them rippled like water. From it rose a small creature between them, dripping white nothingness. The only skin able to be seen was the frail hand that steadied its crounching body. _

_Wings formed under three sets of robes and raised at the same time. Blood colors made of feathers for Myth; Crystalised light for the woman with blue eyes; Black bat appendages for the cold natured one. Slowly, an pair of gray wings -scattered feathers and bones held together by light- forced their way though the rags of robes of the stooping form._

_Slowly it stood, face hidden between dark hair and cloth, and raised its hands cerimonously abover her head. The three woman around it shifted into orbs of distinct color. They glided to hover above the creature's head. Slowly they began to spin, faster and faster until it was a blur of black, red, and white. In a flash of light, they formed an object, but he never bothered to look. He was to enthralled with the face that had been lit up. Surprised by the hollow features revealed. Familiar features._

_Mia's features._

The fire demon bolted upward from his dream, Jagan burning once more at the thought of Myth. This dream was far more vivid than the one from his previous night of sleep. Even though no one spoke in the dream, it's inpact on his mind was horrifying. Then there was Myth again. Was she doing this to him, to weaken him. If not, the why on earth was he dreaming of _her_. He had more attraction for the runt of a hanyou sleeping beneath him than the lilac haired creature. The ellegant woman was driving him insane! That calm voice kept him from sleeping, haunting his steps, causing him to look over his shoulder at every turn. _It's getting ridiculous! _he decided, closing his eyes once more.

_It was the same room, only this one was strangley forboding. With a glance around, Hiei took a step forward only to feel liquid flow into his boot. For some reason he didn't care. Instead he watched the white ripples of the floor roll and weaken at the base of a set of robest that flowed into the ground itself. With a steady, calming movement, blue eyes from before met Hiei's red ones and his mind overflowed with contentment._

_Michelle. It was Michelle._

He shook his head ever so slightly from side to side, ridding him of the dreams that were coming to him more and more. Who the heck was Michelle? The fire koorime was sure he had never even **heard** of the woman before. So why did her eyes make him relax?

Hiei looked around the clearing. They had run all through the previous day -except for Mia who remained asleep much to the dislike of the team- and stopped at the first sign of a setting sun. Kerr and Kurama quickly scouted the area and came back with roots, berries, and leaves that were light enough to keep down despite exhaustion but filling enough to let the group sleep peacefully. Well, most of them at least.

Mia was up now, standing in a slightly less covering clearing, staring at the sky. The fire koorime remembered the questions that had flown lazily at Edeth while the food was being gathered.

_"You mean, we won't have to use them to keep up their effects?" questioned Yuskue._

_"Mia claims that the more we use them, the more of thier abilities we absorb until we won't need them at all," replied the changeling._

_"Just out of curiousity, why was King Enma up her ass like that?"_

_"Because she killed."_

_"She killed that snake thing a while back. He didn't knock her out for that!"_

_"A basalisk, especially a younger one, have little thought to them, much like a wild animal. Killing one of them wouldn't give Mia's mind the pleasure of knowing she tore apart a soul."_

_"...oh...She enjoys it?" the detective's voice shook._

_"It allows her to... think more logically, you could say."_

The strange man had sunk into the woods a bit later to keep watch through the night. He had yet to return.

Hiei stared at the blank woman. Her eyes were calculating, little less. The emotion was gone once more. He sighed silently, knowing it would be a while before she acted mortal again. The loathing crept back in, but he kept himself from revolting against her.

A wind picked up and Hiei saw a pair of transparent wings on her shoulders sway in the breeze. The fire demon blinked and they were gone. But now she was staring at him.

Blank. Calculating. Hollow. He sighed. Whatever King Enma had done to her was now gone, lost behind her reflective eyes. Or was he thinking of the dream again, just like with the wings.

Hiei didn't like the way he obsessed over her actions. It was quite annoying. Forcing the thoughts from his head, he leaned once more against the tree and waited for the others to awaken. He was rewarded about an hour an a half after dawn.

Kurama's eyes flickered open. He took a look around the clearing before moving. Edeth was still at his post somewhere in the woods. Hiei was sitting in a tree, eyes closed, but breath to quick to be sleeping. Mia was walking back into the clearing, pulling her hood down farther. The rest had yet to awaken.

Mia walked up to Kurama. "Would you keep the others in the clearing until I'm back?" she spoke so only he could hear.

"Of course, but," he ventured just as carefully, "May I ask what for?"

"I'm going to go wash the blood off of me," she murmured discreetly.

"Oh..." Kurama's face went red out of embarassment.

The strange youth made an odd sound and left.

**------------------------------**

"I'M GONNA **DIE!**" Edeth raced into the clearing of groggy teammates, a panic stricken mask consuming his face and movements. He was on the other side of the clearing and into the brush before anyone had time to register he was even there.

A moment later rushed in a black and brown blur passing by without making even the slightest of sounds. Out the other side of camp it flew.

"Changelings," muttered Kerr, grabbing the gord of tea over the small fire and pouring himself his third cup.

"**EEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" **came Edeth's scream, sending birds flying in all directions.

"So much for stealth," Yuskue grumbled going for his **fifth** cup, eyes barely open at all. There was another short scream that was cut off. "Remind me not to tick her off."

In stumbled the Changeling that had somehow managed to irk Mia. His one eye was quickly swelling shut and blood was dripping from his nose. His left arm looked broken. Edeth grumbled abcenities under his breath.

Kurama was the only one not surprised by their beaten comrad. Even Hiei stared at him like he was the village idiot. "I take it you walked in on her?"

The beaten man turned bright red. "It wasn't intentional," he muttered in a half whine half mummble.

Yuskue laughed at him. "All women are like that! You actually expected to see her in her birthday suit and get away with it!"

"She was **wearing** clothes. Some really odd ones at that."

"Do you know what underwear are?" Yuskue said slyly, smirking.

"Of **course** I know what underpants are! I'm not that nieve!"

Kurama blinked. "Why would she berate you then?"

"I **don't KNOW!"** he whined. "I was heading back for camp, she came out of the water -she must have been under for over five flippin' minutes- blanched when she saw me, and then threw on her cloak and started glaring at me. I descided I could at least try to run."

The kitsune leaned back thoughtfully. "What was she wearing?"

"Kurama!" cried Kuwabara. Yuskue finished, "I had no idea!" They both had a good laugh at that. The rest of the group chose to ignore the two from Earth.

"She was wearing black, baggy robes that came down real low on her back with a sash that tied in a simple knot at the base of the folds."

"Folds?"

"Yeah, looked like her shirt had been made to hang in folds at the base of her back.

"I take it you saw her from behind."

Edeth nodded. "But I still don't get why that would upset her. I mean, yeah," his blush increased slightly, "The water had made it kinda form fitting, but it's not like I **saw** anything."

A thought came across the mind of Hiei sitting crosslegged in the tree. "Did you get a good look at her back?"

"**Hiei!**" Yuskue faked an exasberated mother tone he probably picked up from Keiko before collapsing into another fit of laughter. Once again, they were ignored.

"No, her hair was sticking to it."

"Hn."

"Hiei," Kurama questioned, "Have you noticed something we haven't?"

"Probably a lot, fox."

Shuichi gave an tired sigh, and hid his face in his slender fingers.

"He's probably talking about the scars at the base of her neck." That put all eyes upon the Changeling. "What? When you have to look back to make sure she hasn't fallen off your back every half an hour for a day, you notice odd things.

"I still don't see how this affects her attitude."

"I don't think she wants us to know they're there."

"But why would..." his speech slowly fell silent as the wheels began turning in the back of his head. Much to Hiei's surprise, Edeth's eyes darkened slightly and a serious side fell over him. What was most surprising was a slight aura picked up around him and began healing his wounds.

_So he's not a total nimrod,_ Hiei smirked.

Mia came back into the clearing via the way she originally left. She had just finished hooking on her cloak. Surprisingly, the only sign of her bath was faint smell of wet hair.

Yuskue gave a cat howl which granted him a punch in the face from Edeth. Needless to say, the hanyou took it upon himself to wrestle with the Changeling.

Mia looked around the group and gave the slightest of sighs. "Edeth, what have I told you about drinking tea this early in the morning?"

Said changeling looked up from his position against the ground and under Yuskue's fist, turning bright red though it had nothing to do with the question. "Not to drink over a cup?" Everyone was surprised. They hadn't even seen him in camp, let alone drinking.

"Try not to next time."

"Party pooper," he called before returning to his struggle.

Mia stared at him for a moment, the equivalent of slapping her forehead in frustration, and began hiding the proof of them being there.

Kuwabara gave a mixture between a yelp and a yell when a foot collided sharply with his shin. "**What was THAT for!**" he screamed and joined the bustle only to be knocked back out five minutes later.

The strange youth continued, ignoring the tangle of bodies rolling around camp behind her back.

Eventually someone broke down. It took fifteen minutes, but Kerr finally got tired of the their comotion. He reached into the struggle and pulled the two apart easliy. Standing over a foot taller allows you to do stuff like that. Holding the two off the ground by the scruff quickly got them to shut up. Or maybe it was his bellowing of, "**IT IS TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING!**" He groggily dropped the two and returned to his cup of tea, grumbling about it being cold. Edeth and Yuskue stared at him, eyes as wide as saucers.

"So...um, Mia..." Edeth ventured, voice shaking slightly, "What's the, uh, plan... for today?"

"Trainging," she replied as though they were talking about the weather.

Crickets.

"Huh?"

"Training," she stated again.

"Heh," said Yuskue, glowering slightly, "I just thought you said 'tr-'"

"Training. That's right."

The detective blinked a few times. "**WHAT!**"

She stood. "I'm not saying it again."

"We don't need training from you!" he hollered.

"Do you realise that the changelings' bodies disappeared before the rest of their team mates had died?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Mia stared at him for a minute. "...you think on that." She went back to hiding their fire.

Kurama's eyes brightened, but his features were grave. "It could mean several things."

The strange youth looked over her shoulder at him, eyes unreadable but the fact that she had looked at all proved she was listening.

"One -and probably the most favorable- is that their boss knew of our presence here and sent his men, registered singely, to come after us so they could attack us in the manner they did without being tracked."

"That's favorable?" grumbled Kerr, finally starting to wake up. "Compared to what?"

"Option two or three."

"Which are?"

"Two -better than three- is that word has gotten around on the island who we are -thanks to the brothers we fought earlier- and the teams are rallying together to burry us alive."

"I almost don't want to know what three is," Kuwabara stated, turning slightly pale.

"Three is that the founder of this tournament has discovered our presence, or Mia's since she's Fourth in Command, and disapproves of our being here and has sent his minions after us."

"Sadly, that sounds most logical," Edeth groaned.

The kitsune gave a dramatic sigh. "I know, depressing isn't it?"

"This is no time to be sarcastic!" growled Yuskue.

"Why not?"

"Um...Mia, where are you going?" questioned Kuwabara.

"Moving on? Half the morning's gone." She kept on walking right out of camp.

The males all stared at each other blankly. There was a great shuffle for their appropriate bags and weapons before they all -and by all here I mean everyone **but** Hiei- scrambled after Mia, having dificutly catching up without leaving to large of a trail.

"I liked the quiet Mia more," scowled Yuskue.

"She's geeting edgy," stated the Changeling plainly only to receive a blank look. He sighed, "She doesn't like being around the same group of people for long periods of time."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's just something I picked up from the way she acts. I haven't firgured out why yet."

"Let me guess, you're the only exception."

"Hardly. The only reason I was able to survive was because Koenma basically glued my to her hip." He chuckled, "It's hard to tell who felt more demeaned."

"Why do you say that?"

"Changelings are very...racial."

"You don't seem that way."

"Why do you think my own kin called me 'traitor'?"

"Because you were working against them?"

He pondered this for a minute, "I suppose that would be logical, but it's incorrect. Even the people who work at Spirit World call me that."

"Why? Is it so bad you befriended the Fourth in Command after a century of being stuck with her?"

"My kind don't have...emotions towards the outside world."

"Wha? You seem perfectly intune with the people around you."

"She told you so bluntly before, I had to pay a price to have her trade trust with me."

"You make it sound like a good," he muttered quietly, earning a small smile. "So what did you pay? Your soul?"

Edeth's smile faltered and he said nothing.

"No way!"

"No, I didn't...only part. The part that kept the emotion away from my thinking. Now I'm not like the rest of the third rank changelings. I don't have the urge to follow an Ellite and I can return friendship. I'm no longer a mindless drone."

"I don't see how that's a 'price'?"

Edeth grimanced. "When you grow up with a one track mind, suddenly having the veil ripped off your eyes can be painfully blinding. I not only had to rethink everything I thought was solid, I had to face being rejected by my own blood. Few changelings, even the ones that work for me, will even **look** at me."

The detective looked at his companion with a new found respect. "Was it worth it?"

"...more than you could ever imagine."

Yuskue stared at him, slightly shocked. "Could I ever earn it?"

"I don't know, but I hope so. I'm begining to like this group." He gave a dazzeling smile making his appearance very child like. "I suppose I have Mia to thank for that."

Before he could relpy, a cliff -nearly a straight drop- loomed over them. "This is the **middle of a FOREST!**" the hanyou cried out.

"I suggest we start up," came Mia's voice, slightly scratchy. "We'll begin when we reach the top."

No one liked this idea.

**-------------------------**

Kuwabara collapsed on the top, gasping for air. "Th-that isn't...right! Noth-ing should EV(gasp)ER be that...tall!"

"It was onlt an equivelent to forty of your human stories," Mia stated blandly, walking over the perfect plataue. There were a few trees on one side, providing shade, cover, and fire wood. The grass was thick and soft and you could easily see anyone attacking you from any side. The only problem was water, but no one but Kurama noticed this. The strange youth walked out into the middle of the flat land and dug a cloth covered heel into the ground, making a small hole. Reaching into her cloak she pulled out one of her gems -which were quickly becoming her trademark- and burried it.

What came of this crystal was obviously what they would be training with. In all honestly, it was both exciting and horrifying.

**-------------------------**

**TBC**


	10. Training Stinks

_thought, flashback, or dream _

**emphasized word**

/telepathy/

"speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters.

_**Chapter 10**_

It rose from the ground like hands of the dead emerging from a grave. Gnarled trunks, twice the height of a telephone pole and and slightly thicker, grew up at a steady rate that, if connected, would be the five points of a star.

Mia walked out into the very center and placed a hand on the ground. A control panel, very high-tech looking, shot up and she began pushing buttons. A sixth pole came out from under her feet and lifted her up. Thin, twisting boards began to move from one pole to another, never truly floating. A board would sink and disappear into a pole one time but then reappear on the other side another. The girl moved her way to the ground again and walked up to the stunned group.

"Well...nice to see you finished it," Edeth commented.

"This," Mia stated, pointing to the machine behind her, "Has no name. I never bothered and I find it stupid to name something I have no intention of selling. It and I will help you train for fighting Changelings."

"And **how** are **we** gonna do that?" Yuskue questioned, crossing his arms.

"You'll try to catch me on it."

"But it's completely unpredictable." He gave her a sly look. "Except to you probably."

"Actually, no. I originally used it to train myself, so I programmed it to be random to the highest degree. The idea is not to trust something to be there until you're sure it's stable."

"I don't see how catching you on it will help."

"I'm not as fast as Hiei, but I'm close enough and people have a hard time seeing my method for some reason. You all may be different but I doubt it."

Yuskue sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get out of this. "So what are the rules?"

"Catch me within twenty minutes with any weapons or attack method you'd like without falling."

"Why shouldn't we fall?"

In a silent reply, Mia placed a hand against her creation once more and large metal spikes formed under it with a hissing clang.

"You had to ask," Kuwabara grumbled next to him.

"And Edeth, no phasing. As soon as word gets around that you're a Changeling, they'll be carrying potions to keep you from doing so." Her comrade nodded. "We'll go by plain speed; slowest to fastest. I won't move more than five miles faster than your top speed if you're slower than me."

"What happens when we all finally catch you within the limit?"

She gave a 'hm' that almost had a mischievous undertone. "Kuwabara, you're up first."

The human grumbled under Yuskue's beaming smile.

Mia quickly ascended into the tangle and waited for him to lumber in her thoughts for once written obviously on her features. _This is gonna be a long day. _It faded quickly into blank concentration as she jumped off the rod she was standing on. It had sunk into one of the main poles. "Come, Kuwabara, you must have some sense of balance."

Said human glared up at her with the 'go-to-hell' look and tried to jump up a step, but missed and fell on his stomach even farther down than he was before. "This is impossible."

"This course or my hope that you have some form of talent? Since I'm moving easily, I think it's the latter."

Kuwabara gave out a bellow in a mixture of rage and determination. With an odd show of sheer will he began moving from one place to another.

"She's very good at manipulating people, isn't she?" asked Kurama looking from the struggling man to the Changeling out of the corner of his eye. "That was a very clean blow to Kuwabara's pride."

"When she wants to," replied Edeth, following suit unlike the others around them (save Hiei who was sitting in a tree a bit away with a happy yet evil looking expression that said he would like very much for Kuwabara to fall) who stared openly at their conversation. "But I haven't seen her be so blunt about it since King Enma put her in charge of rearranging Spirit Wold's Library. That's when I found out how evil she can really be."

"What did she do?" Yuskue asked like a kid in a candy shop spying a new treat.

"Threw an ogre out a glass window and laughed like there was no tomorrow when she saw the expressions of the others. It's the only time I've ever heard her laugh, but even then it was... painful."

"You've never got her to laugh."

Edeth looked slightly ashamed. "No, I got a chuckle out of her once, but... I almost didn't catch it. Mia doesn't like getting attached to people."

"That's kind of obvious," muttered the hanyou.

He shrugged. "It takes a whole new light when she says in to you verbally I suppose."

Yuskue stared wide-eyed at him, opening and closing his mouth several times before turning back to the entertainment he had been ignoring.

Mia moved away easily, but at least Kuwabara could now move about. Unfortunately, she was as unpredictable as she had claimed. One minute she would jump to a disappearing plank several feet below her while another time she would use the one directly above her to swing and jump only a bit farther behind her, just out of Kuwabara's reach.

Twenty minutes passed and the human had yet to catch her. With out warning, the blades beneath them sunk back into the ground along with the boards that held them. While Mia landed easily on her feet, Kuwabara's scream was suddenly muffled by his force-fed meal of grass. With a dejected look, he walked back to the group picking grass out from his bleeding mouth.

Placing a hand against it once more she called, "Kerr, you're up." The rods shot out again.

The result was similar for him, though he landed awkwardly on his **feet** from the top.

Edeth faired a bit better, predicting her moves but he was often wrong and headed in the opposite direction several times. He eventually got so caught up in his chase that he missed his footing and fell. Luckily he only suffered a few large cuts on his legs that he quickly set to healing when his turn was up.

Kurama had little if no trouble keeping balance. He came very close at hitting her with his Rose Whip that when he pulled it back, a few strands of black material was on his thorns. But he too failed. The fox's landing, however, was a perfect ten.

"Alright!" Yuskue exclaimed, "Here I go to whop the Fourth in Command!"

"Hm," Mia stated in a moment of brilliance and reset the 'Trap' -the name given to the female's contraption by those in the watching peanut gallery- with out another word.

Yuskue started off well and gained speed, his coordination becoming close to Kurama's. He nearly had her when she kicked him square in the chest causing him to fall. Unfortunately, they were only twelve minutes in and he was headed straight for a large cluster of shiny objects.

Something grabbed his wrist.

"This doesn't count as 'catching' me," Mia grumbled, pulling him up after Yuskue had returned her grip.

"What are you doing? The enemy wouldn't catch me?"

"On the contrary, that demon seemed very intent on catching you in his mouth."

The hanyou looked down and saw **large **fanged jaws and a pink mouth looking up at him. "What the f-" And then it sprung at him. Mia placed a hand against a pole and the blades disappeared. No longer a surprise for the rest of team, they sprung forward and assisted against the basilisk creature. The one that had tried to devour Yuskue easily evaded them and swatted Hiei out of the air like a fly. It was all very embarrassing, especially when several more grew from the ground to join their supposed leader (he was a good five feet longer and his crest was close to being blindingly brilliant).

The fight that ensued was once again, shamefully, evenly matched. Eventually, Hiei found and opening and took it, killing one of the beasts quickly through the eye and strengthened the hope of survival. But he paid a large price. His entire left leg was covered in acid that he had to scrape off with his new sword. Luckily it didn't have the same effect on it as it did him, for his entire leg was beginning to rot away. The koorime didn't even feel himself cutting away the flesh after a while.

Two more snakes and a burnt hand later, Mia shouted out, "Enough!" from the position she had taken behind the snakes. "Leave now! I have no want to destroy the residence of the island."

"You killed my kin," the largest whispered, smog leaking from its mouth from the effort. "I smell it upon you."

"My apologies, it was my duty to keep his dinner alive." _Ah, she is capable of politics.. I wonder if they can read her eyes though. She means none of it, _ Hiei thought.

"Then I will take your life in turn!" it hissed and dived at her only to get a mouth of black smoke. With nothing there to slow down his movement, his nose became embedded into one of the poles.

Off the top came the real Mia, and sunk a dagger into the precise center of it's forehead, ripping the gem that had been embedded in it with a sudden, bloody movement.

The great beast trashed once and the gave out. "Leave now," she repeated. The basilisk around her bobbed their heads slightly before dragging the bodies away.

"Animal souls don't hold records," she explained as she passed them, wiping the blade on her cloak. "No way for Koenma to know I killed them." Suddenly she changed the topic, "That's it. Let's stop for tonight and heal those burns."

The group headed for the tree thicket and Kerr immediately went to healing Yuskue's burnt digits. When he turned to the more seriously wounded Hiei, the koorime just backed away.

"I need to heal it properly," pleaded the Thirian.

"No reason to," he grumbled limping backward.

"We're going to heal it, Jagan bearer," commented Mia flatly.

The demon, not liking being told what to do, instantly rejected her firm standing, "Give me a **good** reason why, onna."

"I can give you three."

"Hn."

The strange youth walked up to him and quite calmly slammed her heel into decaying foot. Needless to say it took everything Hiei was not to scream.

Loudly, that is.

"One," she murmured.

Hiei drew his katana from his side and she easily kicked it out of his hand and caught it in her hand.

"Two."

Yuskue broke free of Kerr -who had been holding him back up until this point- and ran at Mia with a war cry.

She jumped into a black-flip, kicked the detective squarely between the shoulder blades on her way down causing the hanyou to stumble and use the smaller male fighter as a cushion against his fall, and still managed to land gracefully on her feet.

"Three."

Hiei pushed Yuskue off and plunged at her.

Roots sprang up from the ground and pinned the fire demon to a tree in a sitting position.

"I suggest you all do the same and listen. I am not pleased with the fact that I have to waist energy on such trivial matters."

They all did so without complaint except for Hiei, who once again was outside of the box. Poor Hiei.

"It is essential that you all heal after battles. That is the main reason why Kerr is here. There are other reasons as well. One; It makes you an easy target. Two; You become reckless and predictable. Three; Whether you all like it or not, or even accepted it for that matter, is that you all share a very close bond. When one of you is taken advantage of, it has become natural instinct among you all to help them, thus putting others in danger as well.

"You will be healed because you are cared for. Period." The trees released Hiei as she stalked away. "I'll watch tonight."

"So says the woman who doesn't tell us she's going to pass out from blood loss. Hypocrite."

"My, Yuskue, Keiko must be having a positive effect on your brain! I've never heard such a large word come out of your mouth!" Kurama exclaimed with a an undertone of laughter that was hard to miss.

The detective just flopped down Indian style and glared, irritated.

"I...don't think that's true," Edeth replied to Yuskue's last statement.

Kerr nodded meekly. "I think she accepts the fact that you all find her creepy and don't share that bond."

"Does... she want it?"

"...I don't know Yuskue, I don't know," he replied. "Then again, what else is new?"

"What do ya think, shrimp?" the orange haired human asked.

"Hn."

"You say 'hn' to my, but you'll have a a full length fight with the chick on a regular basis!"

"**She** is impossibly annoying while your insults are often to over used or too foolish for me to come back with a logical reply."

Defeated, Kuwabara grumbled and laid on the ground. He was soon asleep, as were the others.

But inside Hiei there was a him and himself. His mind quickly rejected the idea of forgiveness and he fell asleep in a sour mood soaked with the hopeful thoughts of revenge.

The koorime had forgotten the proverb 'Never let the sun go down on your anger!' And though he had done it many times before, he didn't realize how bad it would come back and bite him. But even buns of steel can be broken.

_Hiei felt his feet placed against something soft and with a single glance around he decided that he would much rather return to his absurd dream about giant, rabid cobras with bunny ears being rode by Mia and Kurama in cowboy outfits as they chased around Yuskue and Kuwabara who had both grown antlers and wolf tails. He and Kerr were passing popcorn in their Colosseum seats while Edeth lay dead -via a spear through his heart- in a clown get up, sprawled against the ivory steps. It was all very amusing to him. Except for Botan and Koenma making out behind them. That was just creepy, not funny._

_Standing before him was a blood soaked woman with wry white hair, pale features, and gray eyes. The stench of the crimson liquid was nearly overpowering. He soon remembered the identical gauntly person from his odd dream the night before._

_"Lathenia!" came a girls happy cry as a young youth ran through Hiei's form to get to the woman. When 'Lathenia' turned and looked at the girl with calculating eyes, he assumed the worst only to be proven wrong. The young child hugged the woman and gave out a small giggle when Lathenia petted her on the head, oblivious to the blood she was getting in the poor girls hair. "What is it, Ariana?"_

_"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You normally wait for the team before killing something."_

_"They are trainees, not a team. Now go back to camp," she stated icily only to have the girl smile warmly and do as she was told. Without hesitation, Lathenia pulled out a dagger and slammed it into the head of a shielded demon behind her. The death she put him through was clean and silent, causing a lump of envy grow within the fire demon._

_But when she picked up the man's body with a large, scaly brown hand that was easily over twice the size it should have beam, it shocked him so bad it forced him out of his dream._

Panting, Hiei laid back against his chosen trunk and didn't slip back into his dreams for another hour and a half.

_Hiei watched them bicker. Unlike the last dream, this one was completely implausible. There was no way it was happening, or ever did._

_Lathenia was hissing threats at Michelle who had spread her limbs wide before a tree that was a mystery in itself. Despite the fact that a girl fight was about to commence, the tree drew his total attention. It was ancient according to the rough bark and deep veins but it was strangely small for these signs. The leaves seemed to have died at some point but were now growing new with brown centers and green tips. Knots in the trunk, marks where the limbs had been broken off, and large gashes across the remaining bows suggested it's near death had been brutal._

_"No!" Michelle begged, tears coming to her eyes as she spread her arms even farther for to trees defense._

_"Move," Lathenia stated loudly, yet tonelessly, yet her twisted face revealed the strange woman's rage._

_"You nearly killed it last time!"_

_"That was the point." She drew a pair of katanas._

_"They all worked so hard," the beautiful woman begged again._

_"Good. Tear it all down at one." Lathenia charged only to be repelled by one of her opponent's shields. "Move!" she screamed._

_"No," Michelle practically sobbed._

_It went on and on, neither getting anywhere, allowing Hiei to try to decide why the tree was so despised and yet loved. In an attempt to understand what was going on he looked around._

_The sky was an awesome shade of purple and the flowers grew around him became denser as they approached the tree. Scanning the horizon, he noticed something odd._

_A young girl -barely five in appearance- stared at the two from under her cropped, light brown hair with a mixture of sadness and confusion in her dark brown eyes. Her childlike innocence shone through everything about her from her calm, pale, sitting frame to the picked flowers in her hand that were beginning to wilt._

_Much to Hiei's dismay, he suddenly found himself in front of the small human. With a steady hand and a heart warming smile, she pulled the only living flower and offered it silently up to fire demon._

_But it was no normal flower. It had white petals that appeared as though someone had painted the tips black with delicate lines. It had the palest green stem. The plant was very attractive except for the tightly clustered thorns on it's length. Even as the child smiled, Hiei could see the thorns dig into her hand, spilling red blood down her arm and staining her green dress crimson._

_For some reason, Hiei found himself completely disturbed. Taking a step back he felt the darkness surround him like a great fan._

_A child's voice entered the black of his mind. It was female and very young, to the point that the slur hadn't quite left it's tongue. **Why won't you play with me just cuz I'm different?**_ **_Why would that not be normal? Why _can't_ we be different? Why can't we just stay like this forever? Why are some left behind? Why must we go alone on our 'path of life'? _**

_A more mature voice echoed. **Why do things happen the way they do?**_

He sat up again, just in time to see the sun was rising and no one but Edeth was up. With a final look around, he decided that the best way to get the disturbing dreams out of his mind was to go find Mia and beat her to a bloody pulp.

Yep, that sounded fun, so that's what he went off to do.

**-----------------------------------**

Hey, hey, guess what? The story DEVELOPS in the next chapter. Finally. No, I'm not kidding. It's gonna be called 'Crimson and Ash."


	11. Crimson and Ash

I have no body and I feel no pain  
for I am no longer here again.  
Now I can fly through-out the widest space  
finally I'm set free from all my chains.  
A farewell to heaven and a farewell to old hell,  
from now on we shall never meet again.  
Neither light nor darkness are here to know my way,  
there'll be no more sadness and there'll no more pain.  
I can fly, yes, I can fly and I'm no longer here,  
may this old flesh stay down there forever,  
I shall not waste a thought.  
No, I do no longer care..-

-Somnambulist's Secret Bardo-Life

A/n: Just so you all know, Hiei is still very grumpy in appearance and attitude. The idea was to give a little purpose behind his mood swings. SooOOoo, unless my text says that his features changed, just plaster that adorably bored expression on his face and your good to go.

Also, when I use lyrics, I might not like the style of music, or the singer. I may also just use a part of a song. It's normally just the words I'm using unless it's IN the story. Even then sometimes... yeah.

Now excuse me while I run away from that katana flying at me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu or that song up there or down there.

_**Chapter 11**_

Once Hiei was sure he was far enough away from the camp not to be sensed, he let his Jagan search the area around him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pick up an aura. With an irritated growl, he switched to searching for a physical sign. Almost immediately it found a clue to which direction Mia had ran.

A broken branch in the clearing led him farther away from camp and down the cliff side, that for some reason was much easier to get down. The subtle clues continued to lead him through thick grooves and it soon became obvious that she had not been entirely careful when she had left.

The smell of salt water filled his senses as the trees began to thin. Between the boughs he began to see the black of her cloak, yet she didn't turn to face him. _Perhaps she wanted me to follow her. No, she knows I'd only come to harm her. What profit is in that for her?_

When he finally reached the clearing, Mia was still staring in the opposite direction from him. The source of the salty scent had been the bay flowing in from the ocean that was easily twenty miles in. _Either this is a very large Island, or the bay reaches nearly half way in._

But that wasn't what surprised him. It was the female. Mia had her hood down, her hair could easily be called black with brown highlights now and hung slightly past her shoulder-blades. But even through the slightly wavering tresses, he could see the scars shining on the back of her neck and the the cloak pulling over her fragile form that was slightly hunched over from exhaustion. The strange youth's scent was either overwhelmed by the sea or was like her spirit energy, nonexistent. Mia's feet hung many yards above the water, limply swaying.

"I wondered how long it would take you," Mia commented quietly.

Whatever pride the koorime had taken in sneaking up on her washed away instantly. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"To kill me," she stated bluntly. "Don't be surprised, your aura changes to suit what you want. My blood in this case."

Hiei stared at her, cold, calculating, and, ever so slightly, interested. "I am going to kill you, onna. Whether it be now or latter, you will die by my hand." he stated smoothly, flicking his blade out slightly with a satisfying 'click'.

"I do not seny my fate. Feel free."

"Your not going to fight?"

"No, I am, at the moment at least, weak and predictable because of it. Besides, I doubt I could anyway."

He felt like the cat. "Why?" The one that Mia had mentioned to Angelo.

"Life means nothing to me and...some things... can't be helped."

The fire demon stood there, watching her, listening to every inflection in her tone. _She's trying to trick me, I know it... but,_ he shook his head, and drew his sword. _For once, I'll grant someone's desire._

"We have visitors."

Wheeling around, fearing to face Kurama or, worse, Edeth only to see a thick grove of tangled branches. Turning back, preparing for a weapon, he was only met with the sight of her pulling up her hood and standing.

"Jagan, Hiei. Those aren't the trees you passed through earlier."

Without warning something deeply pierced the koorime's left shoulder rendering it useless.

"More Changelings," she stated dryly as Hiei faced his opponent and lopped off the creature's head.

"Plural," he growled, eyes shifting back and forth.

"The trees, Jaganshi,' she stated, but Mia barely got out his name though the escalating screams. Once he had finished, Hiei realized she had not only just stood there, she was also mumbling not to him, but herself. "Minors? They know, so why minors?"

He stalked up to her at the cliff edge. "What are you hiding?"

"What does it matter to you? I'm going to die, remember?"

"Suicide doesn't seem like you."

"No, your right. It's just that your blade has taken a sudden liking to my neck."

"Was that dry humor?"

"No, it was -Hiei, Move!"

"What are you going on a-" something solid rammed into his ribs, sending his careening over the edge. _Why am I getting so damn reckless?_ Had his sword been sheathed, Hiei doubted his own survival. As it was, however, he managed to slam the blade into the side of the cliff, slowing his movement. But it wasn't enough and he was forced to swing his right leg into the rocks sending searing pain down his leg. With a hiss, he realized that is was far worse than his arm.

A large bird flew over the edge only to have an acupuncture needle follow it straight into its temple. With an oddly human scream, the bird spiraled over the edge into the foaming waves beneath them. They hadn't seemed so dangerous minutes before.

Mia leaned on her hands and bent over the edge. After staring at him she jumped onto a ledge not to far above him. Slowly, without a word, she offered him a hand.

"You actually expect me to take your hand after I threaten you?"

"It's either that or break into tiny pieces on the rocks below."

"The Hell, I'll fall first!" he retorted sourly. At that moment, his feet slipped on the gathered blood and he lost his grip and fell farther, just barely catching himself once more.

He swore he could hear a sigh. "Now I'll have to get a vine."

"You gotta be shitin' me! There isn't any way in the three worlds you could get me to grab a **vine."** Not a moment after she started to turn around, ignoring his comment, he slipped again, hitting the ledge just right to send him outward, unable to grab onto a hold again.

A black blur caught his attention, and he saw that Mia had jumped, face first, arms tucked in at her sides, right past him. _She's insane!_ his mind screamed, just to get his thoughts off his own predicament. It worked so well that he missed the feather like touch under his arms until he was back over the cliff edge and headed towards the ground without its support.

He would have to brush his teeth for a week straight to get the mud out of his teeth. Laying his palms flat against the earth, he pushed his sore body up and looked around as he brushed the dirt off.

Not too far in front of him was a very deep crater with a woman around nineteen looking laying in it, he pitch black hair sprawled down the length of her back on over the ground. There was blood everywhere about her, shining malevolently on the green blades of grass. But what got him most was the ashen wings tipped red on her back. And though he couldn't be certain, he didn't think it was from the crimson liquid. The lack of aura gave away who it was instantly.

With a cocky smirk, he stood shakily and walked up to her, ignoring the pain in his leg. "Dirt taste good?"

She pushed herself halfway up, glaring at him with narrow eyes as dark as her hair. He face had lost it's human innocence and had defined features and a full mouth. "I don't know." Her arms shook. "You tell me." And gave out.

"Do you like pushing yourself to near death?"

"I''s a nigh hobby," she grumbled, flexing her muscles to stand again.

"I should let you die here."

Mia waved a heavy, dismissive hand at him. "Fe' fee," she choked out through the ground.

Hiei began to walk away, listening to her struggle to get up again. With a depressed sigh he turned around and looped her arm around his shoulders, avoiding his own injured limb. _Damn my honor. _That's when he saw the source of the blood through the thin cut in her cloak that allowed her wings to poke through. Many deep gashes covered her back getting worse as they met the newly added bones. In a sickening revaluation, he realized that he could see those perfectly as well.

Turning his attention back to her face, it was obvious the blood loss had gotten to her. Mia's skin was pale, her breath short, and her eyes glazed. "How did you know I would come and not one of the others?" he said in an attempt to keep her conscious. _I shouldn't have let her struggle. Wounds like that could be deadly strained._

"Edeth is the only one who is up around the same time as me. Plus none of them had a reason to follow," she added weakly.

Hiei shook his head. It was plain logic, yet he hadn't seen it. Grumbling he continued.

"Hiei?" she asked quietly.

"Hn." He almost was afraid of her question.

"You've got a mean mouth when your about to die."

"And you talk too much when you're injured."

She said nothing in reply for a while. "...If King Enma asks, I was hunting."

"What are you babbling..." suddenly he gave an evil laugh. "You know, I think I would enjoy watching his features if I said that."

Mia made an odd, whispery sound that caused him to look at her. She refused to meet his eyes.

"Quit dragging your wings, it makes you heavy," he grumbled.

Edeth was the first person to see them. "**What** in the name of the **Great Gods happened?**" That was surely enough to get everyone at camp to look at them.

_If this woman wasn't on my back, his voice box would be too full of blood to vibrate. _Hiei's eye twitched.

Kuwabara dropped the fruit halfway through a bite causing it to stay in his mouth like a roasted pig. And for good reason; the sight was terrifying with a Hiei limping, drenched not only in his blood but with the paper white Mia's who was currently styling a pair of red ash wings.

Yuskue was nearly as pale when he nudged Kerr who was breathing heavily. When he didn't wake from that, the panicked hanyou kicked him in the head to get his attention. "Wakey, wakey, ding-dong," he hissed at the swearing Thirian.

Kurama came running into the clearing, rose whip beard, hair tipping white. He turned to Edeth, his normally collected features very agitated. "I **thought** we were under-" his eyes locked on Hiei's, widening.

Kerr had just found the same sight. "I didn't think you would..." he trailed off, eyes larger than the kitsune's.

"Shut up, the fire demon grumbled, feeling Mia flex her muscles in an attempt to stand. The sooner, the better. He was beginning to lose the feeling in his arms.

"Looks like she got a good chunk of you before she left," Kuwabara said through a filled mouth.

"Says the one who is supposed to sense auras."

The human gave Hiei a suspicious look and turned his attention to Mia. "Holy...mother, she's-!"

"Still Breathing, **now get her healed you idiots!"** Surprisingly, it wasn't Hiei. It was Edeth. His body was trembling as he ran forward, relieving the fire apparition of his burden.

Kerr was instantly checking the koorime over the moment he let go of the near corpse. Once more, gravity seemed to lose it's effect as the Thirian healed his wounds. This time though, he left a bit of stinging, though it was obvious why. All in all though, the koorime was healed before Edeth was even a yard away.

"You need healed, Mia," the Changeling begged.

"No...I don't," she countered him weakly, attempting to stand on her own and failing miserably.

"Just let the Thirian heal you, onna," came Hiei's icy tone. He wiped a smudge off blood off his face, though in reality it only made it worse.

Mia turned to look at him, an the fire demon was given the privilege of meeting her eyes. There was the I-hate-you look, but something else as well. A mixture of regret, pain, fear, and something else blurred behind her irises, but faded when she blinked. Without looking away she asked Kerr quietly, "You'll have to reset the muscle and bone. Do you need me to lay down?"

Kerr grabbed his wadded ball of a cloak -which he had used as a pillow the night before -and set it at the base of a tree without a word. It wasn't until Edeth began to lead her there, that she broke eye contact.

She did as she was motioned to do and dropped belt and brooch revealing that she carried a few blades on her back and a **set** of cloaks that were slit from the hem to shoulder blade. Both hit the ground with a sickening slop. Her outfit was just as Edeth had described it. Loose and black, yet completely covering save her back, which was not a pleasant sight to see at the moment. What caught Hiei's eye was two chains hidden under her clothes. One in the folds on her back and one around her neck. The now winged one laid on her stomach, burying her face in the cloak, ignoring the retching sounds around her.

Kerr knelt down on Mia's left side. He took out a handful of items out of his pack including balm, bandages, and what was probably the Thirian equivalent to peroxide.

When he was done looking over the gashes, he looked at Kurama. "Would you find me some braces for her wings. They'll drag and freeze that way if we don't support them, even if they do only go down half her waist. Stretch them out, please." And it was true. Even as the fox began to leave, he saw the wings were tiny, only four and a half feet. Perhaps supporting both their weights had been what had torn them, not the fact that they had sprouted.

"I can't heal bone, and I'm not familiar with the wings structure, so all I can do is clean you wounds and patch them up enough to stop the bleeding to a point.

She shifted her wings into a folded position, using new muscles and opening different wounds. The Thirian gingerly went to work, cleaning the wounds and sealing them up as he went along. He then began to wipe off the blood. After several minutes he jumped back. Edeth grave Kerr a questioning look before looking at Mia's back and using profound language.

Mia looked over her should and stood quickly. Too quickly. "Forget it."

Littering the strange youth's back were scars very different from the ones she had received from her red appendages. There were clean and smooth slices, while others that looked like claw marks. Still some -mainly in her sides- were small, circular, and deep.

Mia grabbed the badges and moved away from the group, heat coming to her face, standing out horribly on her pale features.

"**MIA!**" Edeth ran after her, grabbing the youth's upper arm. "WHAT the Heck was THAT!"

"Drop it."

"But-"

She pulled away from him, and with a show of anger no one knew she was even capable of, wheeled to face him and roared, "**I SAID DROP IT!**"

The Changeling froze and watched her stalk away, gaping.

Kurama came up behind him, splintered wood in hand. "What was it?"

Edeth glared at him, his normally go-happy attitude completely replaced with an icy resolve. "I don't know, but I will find a way to loosen her tongue."

The fox fought a smirk and the shape-shifter headed to camp, growling.

After several long minutes of awkward silence, Hiei stated quite bluntly, "I'm going to was this stinking filth off my body," and left.

**---------------------------------**

The rest of the day was uneventful. Well, not quite. Edeth had an half an hour argument about training them still. Surprisingly, he won, and she gave in to a shortened three day rest.

Yuskue's response was probably the most realistic. "She must be really tired."

Then again, constant near death experiences do that to a person. After three days, Mia seemed perfectly fine. The wings on her back had taken on a blood red color, so deep, it easily compared to crimson. Her bandages still needed changed every four hours, but she walked around as though her wings weren't even there.

"What are you smirking at?" she muttered at the confident looking Yuskue.

"With those wings, you'll be easier to catch."

She glanced over her back. "Hm." Slowly her wings began to fade.

"Wha? Why didn't you do that at first?" said the disgruntled hanyou.

"All the nerves in my back had yet to be connected. I couldn't do it until about six hours ago."

"Convenient," he grumbled."

"Very," Mia stated, her wings now completely undetectable. "Well Kuwabara, shall we?"

Needless to say, they didn't have very much fun.

It slowly progressed once they began to catch her. Hiei, was as expected, the first, followed by Edeth, Kurama, Yuskue, Kerr, then Kuwabara. Once they had all completed their task, they thought they were done. Silly them. They should have known that nothing' ever easy by now. The next day she upgraded her machine via the control panel and made the rods thinner and farther apart. The next step included them breaking under too much force. The last series they used was down right painful. It was long blades that they had to **move** on and were moving at unrealistic speeds. No one walked away without scars. Even the all seeing Forbidden Child and the secretive Forgotten had been scathed.

It took over two weeks of training until Mia was satisfied. By the end, Yuskue was completely panicked about how long this tournament would take. Keiko was gonna kill him.

Mia stood in the middle of her contraption, clicking away on the control, causing it to shrink back into one of her pebble like gems. No one noticed when she picked up her pair of sandals and quietly slipped them back on her feet as she headed to camp.

Dinner was filling. Kurama and Yuskue had managed to catch a boar -demonized of course- and Kerr had skinned, gutted it and stuck on a stick. It was a nice break from eggs and mushrooms.

Soon everyone was happily relaxed, enjoying the afternoon off for tomorrow they started off again. Though Mia predicted about ten teams left on the whole island. That was a lot of walking.

"Man," the Changeling groaned. "I'm whooped."

"Why," Mia muttered, keeping her face hidden as always. Even through practice, she had managed to keep her cloak up. "You didn't even catch me on the last course."

"I was too busy trying not to get my head cut off!"

"More like you have no motivation."

"Oh Yeah!" Edeth said, jumping to his feet. "I could beat you hand to hand right now!"

"Hardly."

"You can't even summon up a full hand of energy."

"Doesn't matter. And even if you could beat me, it wouldn't exactly be fair considering I have to manipulate this body more than you do yours."

"Like I care!' he stated, swinging into her face with a playful smirk. Mia leaned onto her back and kicked Edeth in the chest, sending him through a few trees.

"Like I said." The strange girl continued, sitting back up.

"Cranky," he grumbled.

"Childish."

"Too calculating."

"Too emotional."

Everyone stared at them. Had Edeth, the childlike creature, managed to trick Mia into a battle of **name calling**. Or was this one of her evil plans to make him look like an idiot.

"Skank."

"Fool."

"Heartless."

"Reckless."

"Hag."

"Baby."

"Wench."

"Lunatic."

"Bitch."

"Village idiot."

"(Censored for taste)." Edeth gave her the 'Top-that" stare.

The winged one simply stared at him for a moment. "...self-absorbed, half-witted, thick-headed, self-righteous, nitwit who can no more form a halfway decent retaliation as he can turn his annoying personality off."

Jaws hit the ground then sunk another foot. Edeth rolled from side to side laughing so hard, tears were coming out of the corners of his eyes.

"Well, I'm glad I entertained you all," Mia muttered. Even Hiei cackled again as the camp erupted with snickers and chuckles. This time it was Kerr who did nothing.

"Yeah, well at least he doesn't have to posses a body to exist," he commented. According to Edeth's reaction -his hands flying over his mouth like a child who said their first cuss word- it was obviously one without thought. "A **dead** body at that."

_I have seen for myself  
The rogues of all life born  
And I'm lying through the night  
My solemn end  
And a cold touch of death  
Takes my hand  
The only way... the only way_

Everyone stared at him, then at Mia. Edeth gave her a shocked look and opened his mouth to say something but it only came out as a squeak.

Mia looked slowly up at him. "What? I ju-gah.." He doubled over, wheezing and clutching his chest.

_Well, I'm fighting for my life  
And I'm wasting away the time I've got left  
The only way... the only way_

_Another blast of unseen energy, _Hiei thought to himself. _How odd._

"Mia! That was just a bit-"

"Do you wish to join him?" her voice was little over a whisper and shut Edeth up immediately. "I thought not."

_Hearing you talk is a waste of silence  
I can't bare... I no longer care  
I no longer care... no longer care_

With slow, smooth movements, she closed the gap between her and the suffering Atlantian. "Let me make one thing very clear, Kerr," she said, yanking on the man's hair to force him to look into her face with a grimace. "I try not to judge people on past occurrences, and rumors for that matter. I had a great deal of respect for you when we came here, you held no grudge against me, kept my story to yourself, and, if anything, helped me."

_I create the cross that I must wear  
And I am flying to my plight successfully  
The only way... oh the only way_

"But in every day that passes, you have grown more and more pessimistic towards me. I will not tolerate such sickening changes. If you do not wish to be here, say so. Otherwise, I suggest you remove that stupid spell on your left shoulder before I rip your head off Elemental."

And as soon as she had said the last word, she jumped back, just missing the explosion that went off at her feet. A man, made entirely out of earth, rose up from the debris and stared at her with solid black eyes.

_Turning around to an empty space  
I cried despair... I no longer care  
I no longer care... I no longer care_

"It's stronger than expected," it stated in a deep, hollow voice.

"I told you, idiot." Another man appeared out of the sky in a gust of wind. He was as slender as Kurama and had a buzz cut. Barrel like armor covered his limbs, protecting the silken garments beneath. Endless hazel eyes stared at them, ancient yet forever youthful. "Well," he continued in a scruffy voice that made it hard to tell if it was high or low. "I was beginning to worry."

_Feelings... feelings of remorse  
Now locked away, another day, to live again_

One round of confusion on the house.

"I thought I was tailing the wrong person until you blew that basilisk up. There was no way for you to distort and energy amount of that magnitude."

All eyes followed his gave to Mia, who stood looking at him with a bored expression. "Feeding on another's hate to spy on me? Honestly, you should have enough of that on your own."

"Oh, I do. My father's murder was more than enough to suffice."

_Feeling the pressure high  
Holding on to the fire_

"Speaking of your father," said Mia, not even bothering to keep her eyes on the Elemental any more. Instead she walked over to Kerr and examined his wounds. They were glowing with his own spirit energy. "I never saw him sink to the level of toying with people's souls."

"Don't you **dare** act like he was your friend!"

"Perhaps not," she said, brushing off her hands and turning to face him with the same expression as before. "But I know him better than you did."

"Liar! You tricked him then murdered him!"

"I suppose you could look at it that way." Mia was still blank looking. Uncaring to a fault.

It was just that fault that sent the strange man over the edge. In a reckless movement, he struck forward and landed a punch straight on Mia's face, sending her flying.

Right into his partner, who she latched onto and blew into tiny pieces. It only said one thing softly. "Euode."

_Feelings... feelings of remorse  
Now locked away, another day, to live again_

"**No!**"

"I would have thought he taught you better." Mia said. "A first generation Elemental is born from his 'element' by sheer will. They have no soul until they reach a certain point in their growth. To destroy one who's not fully developed, all you have to do it shatter their desire to 'be.'"

"Shut up!" The man growled, jumping forward, wind gathering around his hand like a blade.

Only to be repelled by a now conscious Kerr. To the Elemental's surprised look, all he said was, "Don't you dare cause me to hurt a team member, you sick bastard." And with a mighty blow, the giant of a man threw him back wards.

Mia walked up and placed a gentle hand on the broad shoulder of her companion. "Leave this one to me Kerr. Euode is something I have to deal with," she stated with firm resolve. Even the slight undertone of regret in her voice wasn't so bad.

It was what 'Euode' said next. "Yes Chaos Immortal. Bring it."

_Feeling the pressure high  
Holding on to the fire_

**---------------------------**

Just so you all know, this is not an 'My-character-is-all-powerful-and-she's-gonna-destroy-the-world" fic.. I'm avoiding that route. Not that those stories are bad. There's just too many of them, a good deal of them better than mine.

This chapter was going to be twice as long, but I couldn't bring myself to doing it. Not many people are reading this story, but for those that are, I'm now starting up school. I'm hoping this won't slow down my updates, but that means I have to start on my original story again. My friends love to harp on me about it.

Any who- Hiei brushing his teeth. Can you imagine him all squinty eyed in the morning, foaming at the mouth from tooth paste? Heh heh. Opps, there's that katana again.

R&R


	12. Sad but True

_Some people say there is but one _

_And others say it just goes on and on _

_Ain't but one way to know, it's true _

_But I just want to live, don't you? _

_I just want to live _

_And when this life is done _

_I can't wait to start another one _

_Some people live for every day_

_And others squander all their time away _

_How could I have been caught in this? _

_Now I just want to live_

_Some people feel the need to preach _

_Some others always have to eat the peach _

_I stay out of their reach _

_'Cause I just want to live in peace _

_I just want to live _

_And when this life is done _

_I can't wait to start another one _

_And when this life is gone _

_I can't wait to start another one _

_---Bozwell_

**Chapter 14**

Kerr stared at Mia in awe. "But he just...and you are... what if he..."

The 'Chaos Immortal' looked up at him with steady eyes. "I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad that the Kerr that I met is back."

The Thirian had nothing to say to that, but after a long pause, he spoke again. "Mia... you can't let this one go. They had direct access to my memories."

"No... Euode wouldn't be speaking in that manner if it was the case."

"But-"

"Not now," she snapped and walked out to meet her opponent. The Elemental gave her a cocky smile.

"Are you ready?" he didn't wait for an answer and charged forward, slashing at her with a cunning accuracy that was so different from Hiei's that the koorime watched the two's movements with an intrigued curiosity.

Mia dodged the Elementals blows with an ease that didn't seem at all natural. The more the fire demon looked into it, the more he was convinced it was just that; **unnatural.**

The Forgotten shifted from side to side, not moving a centimeter more than what was needed. Perhaps the strangest thing was that her movements began **before** Euode's attack was revealed by even the slightest muscle movement. The eerie swaying was unsettling even to her opponent who soon began to faint in order to throw her off, but never succeeded.

The group followed, entranced by the odd battle in which offensive and defensive seemed to blend.

**Whap!**

Euode landed a stealthy kick on Mia's crossed arms, sending her sprawling dangerously close the plateau's edge. "You're not the woman I met before. She would have grabbed my led and swung me over that very edge with ease."

"Strange how that all works out isn't it? Two-hundred years can do wonders to a warped soul."

"Like you could ever change. Your hands were so blood stained, there was no natural way to remove the color. Nothing could change a person like that," he stated coolly as he stalked her.

"And I suppose now," she stood, facing him, "That my back is to air, that you think this fight is over?"

"It **is** my element," he smirked.

"Then control it, make sure I can't move, cause now you have to fight in mine." Without a second to spare, she leaned back over the edge and fell. Euode swore and jumped after her, wind tousling his garments.

The left behind team members gathered around the cliff with a growing apprehension.

A stir of trees proved that the battle was still being held. Kurama made a move to follow but Kuwabara stopped him.

"I don't think that this is a good idea." Everyone gave the '...whyyyyyy?' look. "The aura coming up from there isn't... right."

"Elementals are probably different from what-" Kerr began but the human cut him off.

"It's not that. It's the trees."

"The trees." Yuskue stated with a blank expression.

"The trees," Kuwabara confirmed.

"... ..." he blinked. "... ..." and fell over laughing gasping 'trees' between breaths.

Kurama looked over the edge; the startling dark crimson color of the plants below him now suddenly seemed a thousand times more foreboding. "There are a lot of red trees on the Demon Plane."

"But those are different," he fought.

"They have fully formed souls," stated Kerr calmly, now standing next to Kurama. "But they don't match a tree's needs; gathering sunlight, growing bigger. They..."

"Want to see people die," Kurama finished. "And not for food, just for spite."

The Thirian nodded.

"… And this is supposed to stop us how?" Hiei questioned, jumping down the side of the cliff.

"SHRIMP GET BACK HERE!" Kuwabara yelled, having no desire to follow him into the crimson branches.

Edeth and Yuskue looked at each other and grinned. "One, two, three," they counted quickly and shoved the human over the edge, causing him to scream like a moron on the way down.

The detective whispered to Edeth, "That was probably not the best way to keep him alive."

"But well worth it," the Changeling added.

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Hiei slid between the trees, roots branching out like umbrellas, holding the red bark above the ground before sinking into the clear liquid at his feet. Yep, clear, crystal clear even when his feet hit the ground. And it was heavy too, it clung to him, slowing his movement to an irksome pace.

Finally tired of struggling, he gritted his teeth and waded through the goo to reach a tree. Pulling himself up onto one of the roots he took off his boot and shook the thick substance out of it, grumbling all the while (actions he would have never done around the rest of the group, but, hey, there was no one there).

THUMP!

Head snapping back to look up, his red eyes widened at the glimpse of black clothe.

THUMP!

There went a green one too. Mia practically bounced from tree to tree as Euode tried to keep up. Suddenly she stopped dead, sliding off the trunk and onto her current host's root, bending backwards in a show of flexibility that Hiei would have considered impossible with a backbone.

Euode, naturally, bounced right past her, landing hard on the next tree and nearly breaking it in two. He pranced forward again with a roar.

Right at Hiei. "Predictable," the koorime heard her mutter as he drew his sword, but stopped halfway. There was the distinct sound of a breaking bone before Mia's form was even visible. For a moment the two fighters were suspended in air from the force of Mia's kick to Euode's gut. Then he fell into the thick liquid and she finished her flip to land on the opposite tree. "Going for the person who should be least involved."

Hiei bristled at the insult, and glared at her. She didn't seem to notice.

Euode erupted from the syrupy liquid, unperturbed from his broken ribs despite that they were spreading blood down his legs. He flew straight at her and she naturally dodged jumping from tree to bloody tree, deep into the forest.

Euode hit another tree hard, and as he erected himself. Hiei froze in that instant from joining the fight. The man never looked at him, never recognized his presence, as if Hiei didn't even exist in his world. With a cold thought, Hiei realized that he didn't. The only reason he had been involved was to try and anger Mia, and now that she was gone, the Elementals enraged mind was back on destroy, and Hiei had no place in that mind set.

Sliding his sword back into it's sheath, he watched the man bound after the strange girl. Leaning against the trunk he sighed. There was something going on here, and he had no right in it. Mia's words seemed to take on a whole new meaning.

Closing his eyes, Hiei spoke. "Hello, Kurama."

The kitsune on the branch above him just chuckled good naturally. "Interesting fight."

"You didn't see half of it..."

"Perhaps, but it's not hard to tell he's not going to stop until the woman who killed his father is dead."

"That's not my problem."

"And not Mia's apparently either..." The only reply he got from Hiei was silence. "She's not worried in the slightest, and if you haven't noticed, she's very perceptive."

"Why should she be? She's got the upper hand."

"Perhaps... but she can't kill him here remember?" Kurama added gently, bounding off after the two leaving a icy stake of disbelief in Hiei's chest.

Mia's only other choice than to let Euode chase her around the rest of the tournament was horrifying and unreal. It was to let the Elemental have his way.

To die.

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Mia bounded through the branches, nearly loosing her balance with every step. It had been so long since she had jumped from these trees. So long since she had been chased in such a manner.

Too long. She had waited too long, and now here she was, neck high in a mess she had forced upon herself. Something flickered in the back of her mind -a memory. There was a mild sized clearing up ahead. Charging forward, she tried to keep her mind in the present, not in the eerily similar past. That horrible fate that Enma would so love to shove upon her once more.

"I will not!I will** not **submit to that heathen!" she growled between clenched to teeth. "To that pain." But it was too late. The images were already flashing through her head, pouring violently into her mind.

_"**Paran! **No, get away, stupid child that's-"_ the memory wrenched from her mind as she fell face first into the thick liquid before her, her feet finally betraying her. _'Curse this body, I still can't control it,'_ she lied to herself. She knew it was her own guilt weighing her down.

Something pulled her out of the water and slammed her against rough bark. White flashed behind her eyes and pain filled her chest. Mia could feel the it moving dangerously close to her lung as her captor pushed her harder and harder onto a broken branch's stub.

"Got 'cha, witch!" Eoude growled into her ear. "This is for my father!" he bellowed, but the pain in her ear was overcome by blood filling her lung. White hot agony as the dirt fell in grains where it should never be, ruining her blood.

"Your nothing," the Elemental growled. "Nothing. You traded in your own comrades, and this is your fate."

_"Nothing, Mia. Your nothing anymore but my pawn. Now scream."_

"Scream for me!" Euode bellowed, pulling her out of her near unconscious state.

"No!" she whispered, snapping her eyes open to glare at him. "I refuse to submit!" Her voice rose hoarsely. She slammed her heel into Euode's wound and pushed herself off the protrusion. Grabbing the man's neck she paused slightly at the thinness of it before slamming his head under the water.

Something within her stirred strength into her frail, injured form. She held him under the water, refusing to let him back up for air. Slowly his thrashings softened and her arms began to shake. Pulling him up to the surface, she loosened her grip enough to let him breathe. Dragging his near comatose form through the liquid was almost enough incentive to drop him and let him drown, but she knew it would solve nothing.

"Listen to me, you misguided brat," she gagged, blood coming up from her punctured lung. But she ignored it. The plus of her only possessing the body, she couldn't feel the pain in the sense that most people did. Not that it mattered. "I didn't kill your dad on purpose. Though I am responsible for it, and I did kill him, I had no intention of it going into that war and I tried desperately to save him."

"Liar," he croaked earning another rough shove under the water. His reprieve came a little sooner than he had expected when ground hit his back. Slowly but surely his body leveled out onto solid ground and then above the water. He flicked open an eye to see Mia looming above him, hand still locked on his throat.

"Listen carefully child to what I have to say," she murmured. Her teeth were stained red and her eyes were glazed. "Your about to go unconscious, you were underwater too long. I didn't take in to consideration your element. When you wake up, you'll be on my team."

"No fu-" he was cut off by her ramming his head into the ground and effectively knocking him out.

With a deep sigh, Mia sat on the ground, the pain in her back so common now she barely noticed it. Crossing her legs, she set Euode's head in her lap and gazed down at him with soft eyes. "Oh, little one, what have I done to your soul?"

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"Hiei, I found her."

"Kurama, why are you whispering in my ear? It's not like-" the little koorime was cut short by a hand over his mouth.

"Shhhh! I don't think she's realized we're here!" he hissed with a pleading expression.

"That's impossible," he growled, lowering his voice none the less. "We trained with her for three weeks, remember? None of us could sneak up on her?"

Kurama smiled, "Ah, I almost forgot about Yuskue convincing you to sneak up behind her and-"

"Not. Another. Word." he growled,glaring venomously at him. Naturally, he just chuckled.

"Here," Kurama stated quietly, pulling back a red tinted branch, the kitsune revealed the strangest sight.

Mia was doubled over Euode's peaceful yet unconscious form, breathing slowly through her mouth, eyes softly shut. The land she sat on was lit a gentle green against the crimson surrounding. To Mia's back was a long, pearly marble tombstone stretching nearly as high as the trees themselves as if they had been there just to protect this strange clearing and the even stranger moment.

The stone read only one word, but it was enough.

_ZEPHYR_

Dusk set around them, and the two could do nothing but stare until the rest of the group arrived. One by one the other team mates appeared in the tree next to them, watching, waiting. What else could be done.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and still none of them said anything. There was a stirring, something was moving uncomfortably in every nook and cranny.

Mia strange eyes locked onto the group. Strangely calm eyes. In a slow, smooth motion, she waved them over.

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Hiei sat in the tree, watching the group on the island before them. None of them had said a word as they set up camp or laid down to sleep. No one protested when Mia left without a word or when Edeth followed her nearly an hour later. So naturally, no one stopped Hiei from spying after them.

He could sense Edeth up a head, his strange aura that had been barely noticeable before, now stuck out like a sore thumb.

Hiei froze in complete surprise. He wasn't expecting that.

Standing before him was Mia in waist high water, staring blankly off into the woods, her cloak off, her pale body revealed. But he couldn't see her back.

Because Edeth was holding her gently from behind, wrapping his arms around her slim shoulders. His face was buried in her midnight hair, but he could still see his eyes squinted shut in some sort of mental pain. It radiated off of him in waves, the Changeling was in some strange form of distress.

"Please, don't shut me out, Mia," Edeth pleaded, his voice cracking. "I tried so hard to get close to you,so many years,and now you won't even tell me why your injured."

"Edeth..." Mia began, but apparently she didn't have a good enough reply.

But he wasn't subdued. His voice rose with every word. "You have to tell someone! What's going on with Enma, what happened to your parents, why your so cold when everything we did was to keep** this **from happening again."

"It's not that simple..." she muttered.

"What's not that simple! What's **going on**!" he yelled, holding her tighter.

"Edeth-" but he cut her off hearing the slight tone of protest in her voice.

"NO! What's going on with y-" he froze, eyes as big a saucers.

Hiei stared in disbelief at this. It was too unreal, to much a corny comic book plot twist.

Mia had turned in Edeth's grasp and wrapped her arms around her waist. There was a strangely long pause and her wings slowly formed on her back and unfurled.

Then the moment was shattered. With a massive beat of her wings it became clear that it wasn't an embrace that Mia had been seeking, but to pick him up. A roar shattered the eerie silence as a giant beast crashed through the trees, landing right where the two had been standing just a moment before. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and three snakes for a tail.

The koorime drew his sword, ready to spring forward, but was stopped dead.

"Hiei!" It was Mia, she knew he was here. Without warning he felt his face flush the slightest bit. He had been watching a very... _personal_ moment, and she knew the whole time. "Now's, not the time, Hiei." Something was thrown at him. Edeth. "Take him a get back to camp!"

"But!" Edeth called out.

"Chimeras hunt in packs, Edeth! This is a distraction!"

The Changeling stared at her in indecision for a minute before growling. "Let's go, Hiei. The group can't handle this."

"And she can!?" the fire demon shot back, following after. Edeth didn't get a reply.

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"What? What's wrong?" Yuskue asked groggily.

"Get up, baka, and get the ningen to carry the Elemental. We've got company," Hiei snapped at the drowsy detective.

"Ah, a fight!"

"NO! No fighting!" Edeth cried. "Fire breathing! Not good!"

"Fire breathing!"

"MOVE FOOLS!" Hiei bellowed.

Needless to say they all moved quickly.

Jumping from tree to tree, they rushed over the thick liquid until they hit semi-marsh ground and hit the ground hard running as fast as Kuwabara would allow. Eventually Yuskue took the green haired creature, increasing the pace considerably.

But the beasts suddenly stopped, turning around, growling. Edeth's face grew pained. "Mia!"

"Keep going," she commanded quietly from the circle of chimeras around her. "I can handle it." She smiled wryly at him, and for the first time, it wasn't a frightening smile. "What good is this body if I don't use it?"

He almost tried to protest again, but instead turned and kept running. "Come on. I'm the only one who knows the way."

The gentle sound of Mia's gold bracelets hitting the hard ground followed them. Then the most horrible roar they had ever heard.

They kept running. There was nothing they could do for her now.

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_A//N:: I'm BaaaaaaAAAAAaaack Sorry for the wait, school got in the way and then babysitting and and... never mind, I don't have a good excuse. But here it is, and I'm starting up again, so... don't kill me? And Icy, if your reading this, I'll reveiw your story soon._

_Oh, and the song that Edeth sand a few chapters back was something I wrote down one day and decided to put in._


End file.
